After the release of a video Sunday from SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher and national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland calling the talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) “extremely productive,” acoalition of high-profile actors has sent a pointed letter to the leadership (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) expressing their readiness to strike in order to secure a “transformative deal.”
The video was a bit surprising as both sides had agreed to a media blackout during negotiations.
The Tuesday letter, which included signatures from Meryl Streep, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jennifer Lawrence, Lena Waithe, Laura Linney, Sarah Polley, Quinta Brunson, highlights concerns that the union’s members may be prepared to make sacrifices that the leadership is not. The group asserts that they feel their wages, craft, creative freedom, and the power of their union have been undermined in the past decade and that they are seeking to reverse those trends. Rolling Stone was the first to report the story.
While Drescher and Crabtree-Ireland hinted at a possible deal by Friday, the actors’ letter emphasizes the need for significant changes and warns that a strike is on the table if necessary.
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Calling 2023 an “unprecedented inflection point in our industry,” the group said, “what might be considered a good in any other years is simply not enough.” Rolling Stone was the first to report on the letter.
The letter specifically mentions the actors’ interest in a “seismic realignment” of minimum pay rates, streaming residuals, and exclusivity provisions. They also call for changes to self-taped audition practices and the regulation of artificial intelligence to ensure fair compensation when their work is used to train AI.
Prior to the negotiations, nearly 98 percent of voting SAG-AFTRA members authorized a potential strike, giving the union leaders leverage in the talks. The support of prominent actors and industry figures in this letter further demonstrates the willingness of high-profile talent to back a strike if it is deemed necessary.
SAG-AFTRA’s TV/theatrical contracts are set to expire on June 30.
