SAG actors union goes on strike, joining Hollywood writers
Striking Writers Guild of America (WGA) members walk the picket line in front of Netflix offices as SAG-AFTRA union announced it had agreed to a 'last-minute request' by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers for federal mediation, but it refused to again extend its existing labor contract past the 11:59 p.m. Wednesday negotiating deadline, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., July 12, 2023.
Hollywood actors are officially headed to the picket line.
Unable to reach a deal with producers, members of The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists will join up with more than 11,000 already striking film and television writers starting at midnight.
"We are the victims here," said Fran Drescher, president of the union, during a press conference Thursday. "We are being victimized by a very greedy entity. I am shocked by the way the people that we have been in business with are treating us."
"It is disgusting," she said. "Shame on them."
SAG-AFTRA members are already taking the strike seriously. "Oppenheimer" actors left the film's London premiere Thursday. Director Christopher Nolan told the crowd that the cast left and are "off to write their picket signs." The film opens next week.
The failed negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers means film and television productions featuring actors will immediately halt, essentially shutting down Hollywood. It'll be the first tandem strike in Hollywood since 1960.
During the strike actors will not be permitted to promote past projects through conventions, interviews or panels. This includes any Emmy Award campaigning. Nominations for the annual award show were announced Wednesday and the ceremony is set to take place Sept. 18 on Fox.
Heading into negotiations last month, Hollywood performers were looking to improve wages, working conditions and health and pension benefits, as well as create guardrails for the use of artificial intelligence in future television and film productions. Additionally, the union is seeking more transparency from streaming services about viewership so that residual payments can be made equitable to that seen on linear TV.
"You cannot change the business model as much as it has changed and not expect the contact to change, too," Drescher said.
The Writers Guild of America, which has been on strike since May, is seeking higher compensation and residuals, particularly when it comes to streaming shows, as well as new rules that will require studios to staff television shows with a certain number of writers for a specific period. The guild also is seeking compensation throughout the process of pre-production, production and post-production. Currently, writers are often expected to provide revisions or craft new material without being paid.
The WGA also shares similar concerns over the use of artificial intelligence when it comes to script writing.
Source: CNBC
