Negotiations between SAG and AFTRA have ended for today as the studios and the union plan to continue working on an agreement to end the 107-day strike.
It is not yet clear when the next negotiating session will take place as negotiators are still working on the schedule. The union issued its latest response Saturday and is awaiting a response from the studios.
Carol Lombardini, the CEO of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, represented the studios at Saturday’s meeting because the four studio CEOs who had previously attended were not present.
The AMPTP has met with union leadership on four of the last five days as both sides feel pressure to find a solution.
In recent days there has been some optimism about progress in some areas, but there has also been some frustration.
The union sent out a routine reminder to its members Saturday morning about upcoming picket lines. A “unity demonstration” at Disney is scheduled for Wednesday, November 1st. This would be the 111th day of the strike, and strike demonstrations at all other studio locations will be canceled that day.
The union is also planning a Halloween-themed “Solidarity Screamfest” on Tuesday. In particular, the union has warned its members against dressing up as characters from studio-backed projects as this could be interpreted as promoting “strike work”.
SAG-AFTRA is seeking a significant across-the-board increase to keep up with inflation, as well as a new system for paying actors on streaming shows. The union also wants first-of-its-kind protection against the use of artificial intelligence to create “digital doppelgangers.”
Major studios have warned that the current TV season may have to be canceled if a deal is not reached in the next few days. In the last week, several films have been postponed, including “Snow White” and the next installment of “Mission: Impossible.” The studios fear that more will follow if an agreement is not reached soon.
More than 4,600 SAG-AFTRA members signed an open letter this week expressing their support for the union leadership. The letter said members would rather remain on strike than “give in” to a bad deal.