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SAG-AFTRA/AMPTP Endgame in Sight? Actors Offer Strike Reminder

Over 300 actors offer SAG-AFTRA head Fran Drescher a strike reminder - and is an endgame in sight with the AMPTP? Here's the latest...

If you've been following our coverage of the current WGA (Writers Guild of America)/AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) writers' strike as well as the potential SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) strike, then you know this is a very big week. Because by Saturday, we should know if a lot of SAG-AFTRA members will start walking picket lines or getting ready to look over the details of a tentative new deal. Based on what's been out there so far, we've made it clear that our feeling is that SAG-AFTRA will reach a tentative agreement that union membership will ratify. And based on what's gone down over the past few days, we're feeling more and more that we might be right.

WGA, DGA & SAG-AFTRA/AMPTP Timeline

June 23, 2023: DGA/AMPTP Deal Ratified: A little less than three weeks after we learned that the DGA & AMPTP had a tentative deal in place, the three-year deal was ratified over the weekend – with 87% of those voting (6,728 members out of 16,321 who were eligible) voting in favor. Taking effect on July 1, 2023, and running through June 30, 2026, the DGA is claiming "extensive advances" for its members regarding wages, global streaming residuals, safety, diversity, and creative rights. In addition, the new deal establishes minimum terms & conditions in two new areas (non-dramatic programs made for SVOD & high-budget dramatic programs made for AVOD) and includes new provisions reaffirming that generative AI cannot replace the duties performed by the union members.

June 24, 2023: SAG-AFTRA/AMPTP Negotiations: In a rather positive & upbeat video update from SAG-AFTRA National President Fran Drescher and National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, members were able to view the negotiating team as the duo confirmed that the two sides had been in negotiations for the past 10 days. Explaining that a lot of details couldn't be shared because they are "very confidential," Drescher confirmed that SAG-AFTRA has had "extremely productive negotiations that are laser-focused on all of the crucial issues" that she says the members told them were important to them. Crabtree-Ireland added that the team has been "working long and hard" to keep the talks moving and that they "remain optimistic that we will be able to bring the studios, networks, and streamers along to make a fair deal that respects your contribution to this industry." Both sides have through June 30th to finalize a deal – though SAG-AFTRA can choose to suspend a strike call if negotiations are fruitfully heading into the deadline.

June 26, 2023: Fran Drescher Gets Re-Election Support from Both Union Political Parties: With candidates for the national & Los Angeles local SAG-AFTRA boards set to be announced by August 9th, Drescher is running for re-election with the rare public endorsement of both political parties – Unite for Strength & Membership First, breaking from the tradition of running their own respective candidates. The move isn't just a show of support, though – it also sends the message that Drescher has their support because the parties like what they're seeing and want more of it. It's a power move that's a warning to anyone else looking to run – or anyone looking to be an obstacle to any deal that Drescher & SAG-AFTRA might get from the AMPTP. Speaking of which…

June 27, 2023: Some Big Names Offer SAG-AFTRA Pushback: With rumblings that some SAG-AFTRA members weren't too thrilled with the upbeat tone that Drescher & Crabtree-Ireland presented in their update video. In a letter obtained by Rolling Stone, over 300 actors signed a letter reportedly sent to the SAG-AFTRA Leadership and Negotiating Committee looking to make it clear that they won't settle for a compromise that doesn't address their key concerns. "We hope you've heard the message from us: This is an unprecedented inflection point in our industry, and what might be considered a good deal in any other years is simply not enough. We feel that our wages, our craft, our creative freedom, and the power of our union have all been undermined in the last decade. We need to reverse those trajectories," read the letter. Some of the names signing the letter include Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Quinta Brunson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ben Stiller, Neil Patrick Harris, Amy Schumer & Amy Poehler.

But for added context? Even if the letter was signed by an impressive 399 SAG-AFTRA voting members, that number quickly comes crashing back down to earth when you realize that SAG-AFTRA represents over 160,000 members.

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