New York () — A union representing some 160,000 Hollywood actors has gone on strike after talks with major studios and streaming services failed.
It is the first time that its members have stopped working on film and television productions since 1980, after an agreement was not reached on the last day of negotiations this Wednesday.
Fran Drescher, president of SAG-AFTRA, the union, said in a release that the offers from studio management were “insulting and disrespectful.”
“Businesses refused to engage in any meaningful way on some issues and on others we were completely stonewalled,” he said. “Until they negotiate in good faith, we can’t start reaching an agreement.”
The union said its board of directors approved the strike after the bargaining committee unanimously recommended it Thursday morning.
At a press conference at the union headquarters in Los Angeles, Drescher said they will not accept changes to the contract that do not conform to what is taking place in the industry.
“We are not going to continue to make gradual changes to a contract that no longer lives up to what is happening now with this business model that has been imposed on us,” he told the news conference. “What are we doing? Moving furniture from the Titanic? It’s crazy.”
Rank-and-file members of the union had already voted 98% in favor of calling the strike.
The body that represents studios and streaming services said it was “deeply disappointed” by the decision to go on strike, saying it offered “historic” wage increases.
“Instead of further negotiating, SAG-AFTRA has put us on a path that will deepen financial hardship for thousands of people who depend on the industry for their livelihood,” said a statement from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). its acronym in English).
News of the upcoming strike comes after a two-week extension to the union’s contract expired.
A federal mediator requested by management and approved by the union joined the last day of talks.
Join the writers
SAG-AFTRA members will now join the more than 11,000 members of the Writers Guild of America, on strike against the same studios since early May.
That strike had already halted production on most scripted movies and television shows. So far there is no apparent progress to end the action.
Now it is feared that, as the actors join the writers’ strike, the strikes will last throughout the summer and even until the end of the year.
The actors’ strike is expected to paralyze most of the remaining productions, with the exception of a few independent films not associated with major studios.
Hollywood actors and screenwriters had not been on strike at the same time since the 1960s, when former US President Ronald Reagan, then an actor, was president of SAG, the forerunner of SAG-AFTRA.
The industry has changed radically since the last actors’ strike against the studios in 1980, when most TV shows were on just three networks and movies were shown first in theaters.
“Studios and streamers have introduced massive unilateral changes to the business model of our industry, while insisting on keeping our contracts frozen in amber,” said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s chief negotiator.
“Your refusal to meaningfully engage with our key propositions and the fundamental disrespect shown to our members is what got us to this point. Studios and streamers underestimated our members’ resolve, as they are about to fully discover. “.
The difficulty of coming up with contractual language that covers the era of streaming services and artificial intelligence (AI) is why many fear it will be hard to agree on a contract quickly.
“This is a game changer deal,” says David Mumpower, content director for Mickeyblog, which tracks Disney news, and co-host of the “Streaming Into the Void” podcast.
“And if they’re wrong now, they’ll be wrong for decades.”
Attentive to the results
The strikes come at a time when major technology and media companies that have jumped into the world of streaming services are focused on cutting costs and increasing profitability, rather than increasing subscriber numbers.
The AMPTP negotiates on behalf of the studios: Amazon, Apple, CBS, Disney, NBC Universal, Netflix, Paramount Global, Sony and Warner Bros. Discovery, parent of .
Many of these companies have seen their share prices fall in the past year, prompting cost cuts that included layoffs.
Earlier it seemed that the actors’ strike could have been avoided.
Drescher recorded a video message to members in which he stated that the union was in “extremely productive negotiations” with the AMPTP.
But on the heels of his message, a letter signed by hundreds of high-profile actors — including Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Jennifer Lawrence, Bob Odenkirk, Mark Ruffalo, Quinta Brunson and Rami Malek — urged the union to take a hard line.
The actors said they were willing to go on strike for the contract the members need.
“A strike brings incredible hardship for many, and no one wants it,” the letter said.
“But we are prepared to go on strike if the need arises. And we are concerned that SAG-AFTRA members may be willing to make sacrifices that management is unwilling to make. We hope you have heard our message. This is an unprecedented turning point in our industry, and what might be considered a good deal in any other year is simply not enough.”
More than 300 actors initially signed the letter. Since then, the number of signatures has exceeded 1,000, according to the specialized publication Deadline.
Among the issues of the actors’ strike includes the salary increase, as well as advances in residuals, especially in streaming services.
The emergence of artificial intelligence is also worrying.
“We all agree that AI is going to be used. We don’t know how yet,” said Tom Nunan, a professor at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.
The AMPTP said its proposal to the union included “an innovative AI proposal that protects the digital image of actors.”
‘s Natasha Chen and Michelle Watson contributed to this report
