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SAG-AFTRA has agreed to a last-minute call for state arbitration of its contract, but has indicated it will not extend its contract period past midnight Wednesday.
That appears to leave relatively little time for a mediator to stave off a strike that could start as early as Thursday morning.
In a statement Tuesday afternoon, the union stressed that “time is running out” and made it clear that relations between the two sides were extremely strained.
The union said it remained committed to reaching an agreement on time, but added: “We are not confident that the employers have any intention of negotiating an agreement.”
“The AMPTP has betrayed our trust in this process and damaged the respect we have for them,” the union said. “We’re not going to be swayed by this cynical ruse of getting an extension when the companies have had more than enough time to strike a fair deal.”
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers proposed that the Federal Mediation and Arbitration Service be tasked with mediating an agreement. Disney’s Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos and Apple’s Zack Van Amburg held conference calls Monday approving the mediation plan.
High-level agents, including CAA’s Bryan Lourd and Endeavour’s CEO Ari Emanuel, have also been actively trying to persuade both sides to make progress.
“We are here to reach an agreement that will ensure our members can earn a living wage in our expansive industry that we work to enable,” the union said in its statement. “The AMPTP can enable this at any time. They know what our members need and if they bring it up we will listen, but it is important to know: time is running out.”
A SAG-AFTRA strike would shut down script and film production by the AMPTP companies worldwide.
SAG-AFTRA members who have volunteered to be strike leaders were on the picket line Tuesday, receiving training from their brothers at the Writers Guild of America.
“We are mobilized and ready to do whatever we need to do to support our members,” said BJ Lange, who received training at the Paramount campus.
At nearby Netflix headquarters, many SAG-AFTRA members marched with the WGA, as they have been doing for the past two months.
“I expect we’re going to strike,” said Tessa Claire Hersh, a SAG-AFTRA member. “There is an awareness of the possibility of strikes. There is currently a large number of attentive, interested and motivated people. So it’s an opportunity that can be used. And it’s an urgent time too… Things are bad now and could get a lot worse.”
Ryan Faja, another SAG-AFTRA member, agreed.
“Everyone I know wants us to strike,” he said. “It just feels like it’s going to be like that. It’s just harder working in this industry and living in an expensive city like LA… It’s getting harder and harder because people at the top just want more for themselves.”
The SAG-AFTRA contract was originally scheduled to expire on June 30, but was extended by 12 days after both sides agreed to continue making progress. While there have been agreements in some areas, major differences remain, including on artificial intelligence and streaming residuals.
SAG-AFTRA is also seeking significant pay increases and more money for its pension and healthcare plans.
On Monday, the SAG-AFTRA leadership held a meeting for entertainment publicists where they laid out the rules in the event of a strike. Actors and other performers are not only banned from going on set, but also from giving interviews to promote their work.
The WGA has been on strike since May 2nd.