The expiration of a midnight negotiation deadline without reaching an agreement, has prompted the union representing Hollywood actors, the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), to consider strike action.
This development raises the potential for the first simultaneous strike by Hollywood writers and actors in over 60 years.
In an official statement, SAG-AFTRA announced that its negotiating committee, representing 160,000 actors, has unanimously voted to recommend a strike. The final decision will be made by the national board on Thursday morning.
It said: “After more than four weeks of bargaining, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) – the entity that represents major studios and streamers, including Amazon, Apple, Disney, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount, Sony and Warner Bros. Discovery – remains unwilling to offer a fair deal on the key issues that are essential to Sag-Aftra members.”
The Sag-Aftra president, Fran Drescher, said: “The companies have refused to meaningfully engage on some topics and on others completely stonewalled us. Until they do negotiate in good faith, we cannot begin to reach a deal. We have no choice but to move forward in unity, and on behalf of our membership, with a strike recommendation to our national board. The board will discuss the issue this morning and will make its decision.”
Prior to commencing negotiations with studios earlier this year, both the actors’ and writers’ unions conducted membership votes that resulted in overwhelming support to authorize a potential strike over the deep frustrations felt by Hollywood’s creative workforce regarding diminishing shares of studio profits, growing job instability, and anxieties about potential displacement by emerging artificial intelligence technologies.
The anticipated strike by both writers and actors is set to have an immediate impact on publicity efforts for several high-profile films this summer.
As a result, adjustments have already been made, such as moving up the premiere time for Oppenheimer in London to accommodate the cast’s attendance regardless of the strike’s outcome.
While movies like Barbie and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One have already held their world premieres, their stars will be restricted from further promotional events.
Reports suggest that the strike could potentially lead to a delay in the Emmy awards until late autumn or even the following year. The industry is bracing for these disruptions.
Despite the strike, Disney has announced that the premiere of Haunted Mansion will proceed as planned on July 15 at Disneyland, although the film’s actors, including LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, and Jamie Lee Curtis, will not be present.
The San Diego Comic-Con, scheduled to begin on July 20, will also be affected by the strike.
Leading Hollywood actors had already expressed their willingness to strike before the vote took place.
In late June, a letter signed by A-listers such as Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence urged union leaders not to settle for a subpar deal, recognizing the historical significance of the contract negotiation.
The simultaneous strike of writers and actors is expected to create significant disruptions throughout the industry, affecting various other industry workers and having broader economic implications for the Los Angeles region.