There is a palpable sense of anticipation in Hollywood as the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) strike looms. This comes on the heels of a writers' strike spiraling well past its two-month mark, causing further disruption in the industry.
The SAG-AFTRA National Board prepares to cast votes in favor of striking, initiating in the aftermath of collapsed month-long discussions with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Notably, AMPTP serves as a representative for not only Hollywood studios, but also burgeoning streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Fran Drescher, President of SAG-AFTRA, and National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland have spearheaded these negotiations, relentlessly working towards protecting the rights and interests of actors and performers.
Simultaneously, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike continues into its third month. This combined with a potential SAG-AFTRA strike may lead to a complete Hollywood shutdown.
Reflections of concerns from the Writers Guild are seen in SAG as the actors seek assurances that advancement in artificial intelligence technology will not jeopardize their roles within the industry.
Drescher and Crabtree-Ireland vocalized the refusal by the AMPTP to recognize seismic shifts in the industry and their detrimental effect on those employed by the studios. The duo deemed previous responses to their proposals as insufficient.
The SAG's contract expired recently following the termination of prolonged negotiations. This prompted news of the strike vote.
The notification comes amidst a public denouncement of entertainment news site Deadline by WGA members, accusing the site of publishing a 'union-busting' article intended to intimidate writers.
The industry is already grappling with the effects of the WGA strike, which started in May, forcing many productions to pause temporarily. As for Actor's Equity, the union representing theater actors nationwide, there has been no comment as of yet on the impending SAG strike.
