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SAG-AFTRA told its members Monday evening that negotiations would resume Tuesday, but warned that the two sides remain “far apart” on key issues.
The union and the major studios have been negotiating for a week, focusing on issues such as increasing minimum payments, a new residual model in streaming and artificial intelligence.
“The committee worked independently today. “We will be meeting with the AMPTP on Tuesday,” the union told its members. “Although last week’s discussions were productive, we remain far apart on important issues.”
The union urged its members to keep up the pressure on the studios by posting on social media and appearing forcefully at the picket lines.
Studios have warned that if a deal isn’t reached this week, it will be impossible for networks to salvage half a season of scripted television. The 2024 summer film season is also increasingly in danger as more and more films are being postponed to 2025.
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s top negotiator, appeared on the picket lines on Monday morning and said he remained “cautiously optimistic” about the talks.
“As long as we keep talking and moving things forward, that’s what has to happen,” he said. “There has been progress and that is the source of my continued cautious optimism.”
The union has tried to create a regulatory framework for the use of artificial intelligence to create “digital doppelgangers”. While the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers has said it agrees that performers must give consent and be paid for using AI, the union has long held that “the devil is in the details.”
Crabtree-Ireland said on Monday that the union was still pushing to limit consent for AI to a single project. He said studios instead wanted an agreement to be valid for the entire life of a franchise.
The union has also tried to veto the use of AI, which the studios have resisted.