Hollywood’s major film and television studios and intermediaries held last-minute talks Wednesday in hopes of avoiding a second industry strike.
SAG-AFTRA, Hollywood’s largest union, better known as the Screen Actors Guild, has authorized a strike if negotiations do not result in an agreement by midnight Los Angeles (07:00 GMT/UTC).
Prominent stars including Jennifer Lawrence and Meryl Streep have expressed their support for the industrial action. Should the strike continue, the stars would not be able to promote new releases or attend industry events like Comic-Con, which is slated to take place next week.
The union represents around 160,000 actors, TV and radio presenters and other media professionals.
Writers have been marching for two months, with the actors’ union expressing support for the action. Credit: Robert Hanashiro/USA TODAY/picture Alliance
What are the union’s demands?
SAG-AFTRA calls for higher compensation from streaming services as well as higher wages to counteract inflation.
In addition to salaries, actors earn a “salary” each time a production in which they star is broadcast on network or cable.
However, streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ don’t announce ratings and pay actors the same flat rate regardless of viewership.
The union is also calling for the introduction of safeguards around the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Actors want to know that their digital images are not being used without their permission.
What has happened so far in the negotiations?
On Tuesday, union negotiators approved a studio motion to bring in a federal arbitrator.
SAG-AFTRA said studio officials “betrayed our trust” by leaking information to the media and said there would be no change to Wednesday night’s deadline that would trigger a strike.
“We are not convinced that the employers have any intention of negotiating an agreement,” the union said in a statement late Tuesday. “Time is running out.”
A “double whammy” could bring almost all productions to a standstill
The strike threatened by SAG-AFTRA follows a similar action by the industry’s largest writers’ union.
Around 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike in early May.
This halted most production for the fall TV season and filming on some big-budget films.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) said it had offered “generous” raises but could not agree to all demands.
Should SAG-AFTRA announce a strike, it would result in a “double whammy” not seen in Hollywood since the 1960s and halt most US film and television production.
sdi/msh (Portal, AFP)