It’s official. For the first time since 1960 both the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists are on strike. This is the first dual work stoppage since Ronald Reagan served as president of SAG-AFTRA. The vote by the National Board was unanimous.
A successor agreement between the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) was not reached as the deadline hit 11:59 PM last night.
The decision immediately shuts down any other film and TV productions that were still moving head despite the ongoing writers’ strike. Actors will be pulled from any promotional events including movie premieres, press junkets, fan events like San Diego Comic-Con, and awards ceremonies like the upcoming Emmys.
The strike will begin tonight at midnight. It does not affect members working in interactive entertainment, audiobooks, music, commercials and other contract areas. A fired-up union president Fran Drescher and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland addressed reporters.
Crabtree-Ireland said that the talks left the union “with no choice” but to call a strike, while Drescher said that the studios “plead poverty” and said that the producers “stand on the wrong side of history.”
“Last night we told the AMPTP directly across the table we’re ready willing and able to return to the negotiating table whenever they’re ready to do so. Their response to us was that they would be ready to talk whenever we would act in a civilized manner and not be on strike. We told them that it’s not uncivilized for people to go on strike. It’s a moral right. It’s a human right and it’s a legal right of our members to collectively bargain, to organize and to go on strike if needed to defend their rights,” the negotiator told reporters.
Crabtree-Ireland continued, “We will be happy to approach them and negotiate with them whenever they’re ready to do so. We were then later informed that it would probably be a while, so we will be here doing what we need to do to defend our members and to ensure we get a fair contract, and we encourage them to come back to the table, because we’re ready to talk whenever they are.”
“The eyes of the world and, particularly, the eyes of labor are upon us,” shared a visibly angry and frustrated Drescher. “What happens to us is important. What’s happening to us is happening across all fields of labor. When employers make Wall Street and greed their priority and they forget about the essential contributors who make the machine run, we have a problem.”
Drescher went on to say, “Wake up and smell the coffee! We demand respect! You cannot exist without us!”
She added, “It came with great sadness that we came to this crossroads, but we had no choice. We are the victims here. We are being victimized by a very greedy entity. I am shocked by the way the people we have been in business with are treating us. I cannot believe it how far apart we are on so many things, how they plead poverty while giving millions of dollars to their CEOs. Shame on them! They are on the wrong side of history!”
“Although we’re all disappointed with the reluctance to cooperate, the solidarity among SAG-AFTRA members has never been stronger,” Crabtree-Ireland said. “Based on the enthusiasm I’m seeing from everyone. I truly believe this union has the unity and the resolve needed to fight for the future their careers.”
In London, the cast of the film Oppenheimer walked out of the film’s premiere on Thursday in solidarity with what appeared to be an imminent actors’ strike, the film’s director, Christopher Nolan, reportedly told the audience. Watch below:
REELated:
AMPTP released a terse statement of its own blaming the union and stating it is, “deeply disappointed” that SAG-AFTRA wasn’t extending negotiations. “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,” the statement continued. It added that “SAG-AFTRA has put us on a course that will deepen the financial hardship for thousands who depend on the industry for their livelihoods.”
The negotiations began on June 7, 2023, and the initial expiration date for the union’s film and TV contracts package was June 30. However, both labor and management decided to extend the talks until July 12 to continue their efforts to reach a favorable contract agreement.
Initially, the negotiations were described as “extremely productive” by Drescher and Crabtree-Ireland. However, in recent days, the tone of the discussions took a turn. SAG-AFTRA began preparing major PR firms and hundreds of agents on potential strike rules, while high-level executives from Warner Bros.-Discovery, Disney, and other companies had discussions where the idea of involving a federal mediator was raised.
When asked how long they think the strike will last, Drescher replied, “That’s up to them,” adding that they’re willing to come to the table tonight. “They know what it will take to make a deal,” Crabtree-Ireland said.
