SAG-AFTRA, the union representing 160,000 actors, is expected to go on strike as soon as Friday after the actors union and Hollywood studios failed to reach a contract deal before a Wednesday midnight deadline. SAG-AFTRA's negotiating committee voted unanimously to recommend union leaders call a strike when they meet Thursday morning. A solid 98% of actors guild members voted to authorize a strike in early June.
The studios, represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), called in a federal mediator on Wednesday — SAG-AFTRA agreed but called it a "cynical ploy" to extend negotiations — and both sides reportedly remain far apart on issues ranging from residuals for hit shows on streaming services to rules for using artificial intelligence.
This will be the first actors strike since 2000, their first walkout against TV and movie studios since 1980, and the first time since 1960 that Hollywood actors and writers are on strike at the same time. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike since May 2, and SAG-AFTRA's dual strike will shut down most of the remaining scripted productions, threatening the fall TV lineup and movie schedule. SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP began talks on June 7, then extended them on June 30. The Directors Guild of America agreed to a new contract in June.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher said the actors guild had "negotiated in good faith and was eager to reach a deal that sufficiently addressed performer needs, but the AMPTP's responses to the union's most important proposals have been insulting and disrespectful of our massive contributions to this industry." The AMPTP said it is "deeply disappointed that SAG-AFTRA has decided to walk away from negotiations," blaming the guild for putting the TV and film industry "on a course that will deepen the financial hardship for thousands who depend on the industry for their livelihoods."
-
Critics’ choice: Watering holes for gourmandsFeature An endless selection of Mexican spirits, a Dublin-inspired bar, and an upscale Baltimore pub
-
Argentinian beef is at the center of American farmers’ woesThe Explainer ‘It feels like a slap in the face to rural America,’ said one farmer
-
‘Businesses that lose money and are uncompetitive won’t survive’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
The 7 best police procedurals of all timeThe Week Recommends There’s more to cops and robbers than just nabbing the bad guy at the end of the show
-
The 5 best TV shows about the mobThe Week Recommends From the show that launched TV’s golden age to a Batman spin-off, viewers can’t get enough of these magnificent mobsters
-
7 of the best narco TV series of all timeThe Week Recommends From Colombia to the California suburbs, every drug kingpin has a familiar and tragic trajectory
-
Broadway actors and musicians are on the brink of a strikeThe explainer The show, it turns out, may not go on
-
Tim Robinson falls out of a chair, chefs compete for Michelin stars and Martin Scorsese gets the documentary treatment in October TVthe week recommends This month's new television releases include ‘The Chair Company,’ ‘Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars’ and ‘Mr. Scorsese’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
8 of the best ‘cozy crime’ series of all timeThe Week Recommends Murder mysteries don’t necessarily have to make us miserable, and these shows have perfected a feel-good crime formula
-
The 5 best zombie TV shows of all timeThe Week Recommends For undead aficionados, the age of abundance has truly arrived
