SAG-AFTRA
Things are looking a little less spooky for Hollywood this Halloween evening.
On the 110th day of the 2023 actors’ strike, SAG-AFTRA and Hollywood studios have concluded their final negotiations for the holiday as an agreement appears to be within reach.
The two sides parted ways in the afternoon after a day of discussing AI issues and are expected to return to the negotiating table on Wednesday. While a studio source says the talks are moving in the right direction, he says it could take a few days for remaining issues to be resolved. Two other studio sources said that talks overall are progressing substantially and that a deal could be imminent. Several prominent actors said they had received word that a deal could also be struck soon.
Just a day earlier, on Monday, the union’s negotiating committee had telegraphed members that a new deal – and an end to the strike – might not happen immediately. “Although discussions last week were productive, we remain far apart on important issues,” the committee wrote to members. (On the other hand, a studio source that day expressed optimism that an agreement could be reached soon.) At that point, the two sides still hadn’t agreed to a final agreement on the contract language surrounding AI and the actors’ attempt to work on one to be involved in cutting revenue from streaming projects.
And in one Video message Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s national executive director and chief negotiator, stressed to SAG-AFTRA members on Tuesday that the union must continue to work until it is satisfied. “Even though I said I was cautiously optimistic, that means we have to keep the pressure on,” he said. “We have to keep pushing because there are really important parts of this agreement that are not there yet and need to be implemented. AI, for example, has to be right. This deal cannot happen without a fair deal on AI.”
Both sides are under pressure to reach a new three-year agreement in a timely manner. The studios have expressed to the union that their 2024 film plans are at risk if an agreement is not reached this week. Meanwhile, a group of top actors met with union and studio representatives in early October to advance talks. On October 26, an open letter signed by thousands of SAG-AFTRA members urged negotiators not to give in: “We have not come all this way to give in now,” the message said.
Rebecca Keegan and Kim Masters contributed reporting.