The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists voted to strike Monday and began negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Wednesday.
Almost 48% of the union’s 160,000 members cast their ballots in an overwhelming majority, 97.91%, to strike should the two groups fail to reach an agreement. Their current contracts expire on June 30.
HOW APPLE IS HELPING BRING LIONEL MESSI TO THE US
Meanwhile, both SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP are participating in a “media blackout” and not responding to requests for comment until negotiations are finished.
Should SAG-AFTRA strike, it will be joining the likes of the Writer’s Guild of America in its strike, which began on May 2. Writer’s Guild negotiators were asking for a total of $429 million to raise wages across its industry. The Director’s Guild of America, on the other hand, was able to reach a tentative three-year agreement with AMPTP, which its board approved Tuesday.
The Director’s Guild’s new contract included a 5% wage increase in the first year of the contract, 4% in the second year, and 3.5% in the third year, including 0.5% to fund a new parental leave benefit, 76% increase in foreign residuals, compensation during “soft prep” months ahead of production, and the reduced length of an assistant director’s day by one hour. This contract also prohibited generative artificial intelligence from replacing members or their duties, allowed for associate directors and stage managers of variety and reality shows to share in residuals, and required the employment of dedicated safety supervisors.
SAG-AFTRA Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland promised he would “seek to capitalize on the insights we have gained from [the Director’s Guild’s] bargaining process and progress they have made on common issues.” Still, all the unions are not dependent on the outcomes of the other’s negotiations, according to Crabtree-Ireland.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Films affected by the Writer’s Guild strike and a potential SAG-AFTRA strike include Marvel’s Thunderbolts, along with its fourth installment of the Spider-Man series, Unstoppable out of Ben Affleck’s and Matt Damon’s production company, and Joaquin Phoenix’s latest venture, The Island. Snoop Dogg also postponed his summer concerts in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of his debut studio album, Doggystyle, until October.
The television shows currently on pause are Unstable, Big Mouth, Cobra Kai, The Last of Us, Emily in Paris, Stranger Things, and Yellowjackets. This also includes late-night shows such as Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Real Time with Bill Maher, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
