After failed negotiations between the union representing entertainers and media companies, the two agreed to extend their deadline.
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists had intended to reach an agreement with Amazon/MGM, Apple, NBCUniversal, Disney/ABC/Fox, Netflix, Paramount/CBS, Sony, and Warner Bros. by midnight on June 30, when its previous contracts expire. Now, negotiations will go until July 12.
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SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP have agreed to an extension of the 2020 TV/Theatrical Contracts. The agreements will now expire on July 12, at 11:59 pm PT. The parties will continue to negotiate under a mutually agreed upon media blackout.https://t.co/k7YYwUcmjs
— SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra) July 1, 2023
“The agreements, which were set to expire at 11:59 p.m. PT tonight, will now expire on July 12, at 11:59 pm PT,” SAG-AFTRA explained in a statement late Friday. “The parties will continue to negotiate under a mutually agreed upon media blackout.”
Negotiations began June 7 and were preceded by an over 97% vote to strike by the 160,000 SAG-AFTRA members if a new contract isn’t established. SAG-AFTRA offices will be closed Monday and Tuesday for the holiday, suggesting that Crabtree-Ireland and his team would not return to the negotiating table until later next week.
“The SAG-AFTRA National Board will meet on July 13, 2023 to assess whether a satisfactory deal has been reached. Based on that assessment, the National Board will determine whether to declare a strike,” its statement went on. “Members should be prepared for the very real possibility that the National Board will declare a strike of the Codified Basic Agreement and Television Agreement effective as early as July 13, 2023.”
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Meanwhile, the Writers Guild of America remains on strike for its ninth week in what included some 11,500 writers. WGA has come to a head with the same group of studios, networks, and streamers over higher wages.
The last time both WGA and SAG-AFTRA were simultaneously on strike was in 1960, with Ronald Reagan at the helm before he ran for president.
