SAG-AFTRA members striking
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A group of SAG-AFTRA strike captains organized an open letter, apparently signed by thousands of union members, in solidarity with the actors’ ongoing strike, saying: “We have not come all this way to give in now .”
The letter’s signatories appear to include Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Cynthia Nixon, Leslie Odom Jr. Demi Moore, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jon Hamm, Mark Ruffalo, Jonathan Groff, Kate Walsh, Chelsea Handler and more. has reached out to representatives for these stars for comment.
“In June, before we went on strike, a large group of members signed an open letter telling our leaders that we would rather strike than get a bad deal,” the letter said. “Now, more than 100 days after our strike began, that still applies. As difficult as it is, we would rather continue to strike than make a bad deal.”
The letter comes as SAG-AFTRA is back in negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers this week after the union has been on strike for more than 100 days. On Thursday, SAG-AFTRA presented a “comprehensive counterproposal” to company leaders and will be back at the negotiating table on Friday, the SAG-AFTRA Television/Theater Negotiating Committee said union members on Friday.
Signatories were able to sign the letter via Google Form, but until the full list was released Thursday evening, only organizers knew the names of the signatories.
THR previously reported that a draft of a very different letter was circulating from a group of senior figures frustrated with the pace of contract negotiations. The draft, begun before SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP returned to the negotiating table this week, raised concerns about SAG-AFTRA’s leadership. However, this letter was submitted when negotiations resumed on Tuesday.
Below is the full letter from SAG members, which was released Thursday.
“To our SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee:
Back in June, before we went on strike, a large group of members signed an open letter telling our leaders that we would rather strike than get a bad deal.
Even now, more than 100 days after our strike began, this is still true. As difficult as it is, we would rather continue to strike than make a bad deal.
We didn’t come all this way to give in. We didn’t spend months without work, without pay, and on picket lines only to give up everything we fought for. We cannot and will not accept a treaty that ignores the vital and existential problems that we all need to solve.
In any union there will always be a minority unwilling to make temporary sacrifices for the greater good. But we, the majority who voted overwhelmingly to authorize this strike, still stand in solidarity and are willing to strike for as long as it takes and endure whatever we have to do to win a deal, who deserves our collective sacrifice. We know our union leaders are doing everything in their power to achieve this goal as they negotiate in good faith with companies to negotiate a new contract that protects us and our fellow artists now and for generations to come.
Everything we have as a union – every minimum payment, every health and pension benefit, every balance, every royalty and every job protection – everything was won with the power of our members; the power of our solidarity; the strength to stand together and demand what is right, what is fair and what we deserve. You now have our trust, our support and our strength behind you.
One day longer. One day stronger. As long as it takes.”
Abid Rahman contributed to this report.