Yesterday, the Screen Actors Guild National Council - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) unanimously agreed that members of the guild of top performers in the US should vote to strike if negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) fail next month. This means that if the studios refuse to offer fair wages and protection to SAG-AFTRA members, the actors will soon join the writers in a nationwide strike.
Earlier this month, the Writers Guild of America launched a nationwide strike for fair wages after AMPTP failed to negotiate better working conditions for people who help turn the wheels of Hollywood. Dozens of TV shows have been affected as a result, and Hollywood risks a complete freeze if the problem is not addressed soon. Now studios have another reason to pay screenwriters the fair wages they ask, as actors can quickly join the fight.
WGA members voted to strike after a long period of negotiations during which AMPTP ignored workers’ questions. To avoid a repeat of the same in the upcoming negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP, the National Guild Council has already advised its members that a strike is possible if negotiations go awry. As President of SAG-AFTRA Fran Drescher said in a statement to members: “The prospect of a strike is not the first option, but the last resort. As my dad always says, “Better to have and not need than to need and not have!”
Why do actors renegotiate their contracts?
While Hollywood’s biggest stars make a lot of money, over 160,000 entertainment and media professionals are affiliated with SAG-AFTRA, many of whom work at the bottom of the Hollywood food chain. This means thousands of workers are struggling to make a living while facing rising inflation and a lack of fair compensation brought on by changes in the industry brought about by the streaming era. So, just like the writers, the actors are asking the studios to pay their workers fairly. It shouldn’t be difficult, as major Hollywood entertainment companies continue to post record profits during the economic crisis.
Instead of trying to negotiate a deal with AMPTP and then discussing the possibility of a strike, SAG-AFTRA decided to discuss the potential for members leaving the site. Considering that AMPTP has refused to negotiate with the WGA, the cast syndicate is not wrong as they need all the leverage they can get to be heard by the studios. So while it’s still too early to tell if SAG-AFTRA will go on strike, AMPTP should be careful about how it treats its workers. Otherwise, it will not be possible to keep the production of films and series in just a few weeks.
Negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP will start on June 7th. Collider will report on the latest developments in the industry.
Source: Collider
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