Actors leaving the London premiere of Oppenheimer is just the start of what could be a long-drawn battle as Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) decided to go on strike and bring Hollywood to a grinding halt.
Hollywood scriptwriters have already been on strike for the past two months and 160,000 members of SAG-AFTRA are joining them after talks with Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed.
In a combined statement, Fran Drescher, SAG-AFTRA President, and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, said in a message to its members: “After more than four weeks of negotiations, the AMPTP remains unwilling to offer a fair deal on the key issues that you told us are important to you.
“Despite our team’s dedication to advocating on your behalf, the AMPTP has refused to acknowledge that enormous shifts in the industry and economy have had a detrimental impact on those who perform labour for the studios.
“Though we’ve engaged in negotiations in good faith and remained eager to reach a deal that sufficiently addressed performer concerns, the AMPTP’s responses to our proposals have not been adequate.”
On its part, the AMPTP said in its statement: “This is the Union’s choice, not ours. In doing so, it has dismissed our offer of historic pay and residual increases, substantially higher caps on pension and health contributions, audition protections, shortened series option periods, a groundbreaking AI proposal that protects actors’ digital likenesses, and more.
“Rather than continuing to negotiate, SAG-AFTRA has put us on a course that will deepen the financial hardship for thousands who depend on the industry for their livelihoods.”
In solidarity with SAG-AFTRA, 20,000 members of Writers Guild of America (West and East), The Animation Guild and 28,000 members of ACTRA, the actors union in Canada, have joined the strike.
Here are some of the details you need to know…
Who are the parties involved?
SAG-AFTRA brings together Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Both were formed in the 1930s and combined forces in 2012. It represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other media professionals.
Some of the biggest names in Hollywood, like Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford, Matt Damon and Meryl Streep, are members of SAG-AFTRA.
AMPTP is the association that represents some of the biggest entertainment companies, including Disney, Paramount, Sony, Netflix, Amazon, Apple, NBCUniversal and Warner Bros Discovery.
The issues at the heart of the conflict
SAG-AFTRA is seeking a new contract that accounts for the proliferation of, and the economic realities of the streaming revolution, and pays them accordingly, and the risks posed by the invasion of digital technologies like artificial intelligence.
The SAG-AFTRA statement read: “As you know, over the past decade, your compensation has been severely eroded by the rise of the streaming ecosystem. Furthermore, artificial intelligence poses an existential threat to creative professions, and all actors and performers deserve contract language that protects them from having their identity and talent exploited without consent and pay.
The guild contends that compensation for performers has declined dramatically as entertainment companies are not paying residuals, a type of royalty that was common when popular shows were sold into syndication instead of exclusively to streaming services.
It has called for tighter regulations and safeguards to help protect actors “against the unauthorised use of their voices, likenesses and performances”.
Has there been a precedence?
It is the first time that film and television performers have gone on strike since 1980, which lasted three months. Screenwriters have gone on strike several times, including in 2007 when they were off work for 100 days.
What the strike could mean for you?
The walkout by Damon and stars like Emily Blunt from the Oppenheimer premiere is just the start. All film and TV show production will stop and some of the biggest stars are expected to be headed to the picket lines and protest.
It would mean new Hollywood releases – on screen and on streaming sites – will be without premieres and without promotions by the actors.
Another immediate threat is to the 75th Emmy Awards, which is scheduled to be held on September 18.
With the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, many small-screen productions have already shut down and several late-night talk shows are already into reruns.
Actors will not work in either film or television production, and the effects of this will start showing towards the end of the year.
Follow us on
