Posted in: Movies, streaming, TV | Tagged: amptp, DGA, SAG-AFTRA, wga

SAG-AFTRA, AMPTP Issue Joint Statement: Talks Resuming on April 27th

In a joint statement, SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP announced that negotiations regarding a new deal are set to resume on Monday, April 27th.

Over the weekend, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) confirmed that the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) had reached a tentative agreement on a new deal, just over a month before the current deal was set to expire. Interestingly enough, it was the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) that kicked off this year's round of union talks. After negotiating with the artists' union during February and March, talks hit the "PAUSE" button, with the AMPTP shifting its focus to locking down a deal with the WGA. With the current deal set to expire at the end of June, SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP released a joint statement announcing they would resume talks a little sooner than expected. "SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP will resume formal negotiations on Monday, April 27, and remain under a mutually agreed upon media blackout," read the statement on the union's website.

"Yesterday, the WGA announced they had reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP on their Minimum Basic Agreement," read the statement from SAG-AFTRA over the weekend. "We extend our congratulations to the WGA negotiating committee and negotiating staff on concluding their bargaining and anticipate reviewing the details of their agreement at the earliest opportunity. We look forward to resuming our bargaining with the AMPTP." The Directors Guild of America's (DGA) deal is also set to expire on June 30th.

Though specific details will be made available over the next few days, the new deal is expected to include an injection of much-needed funds into the union's health fund (though cuts and adjustments to the plan to address costs are still expected). The union was also looking to build upon the gains from the 2023 deal on a number of other issues, including streaming residuals, TV staffing minimums, and artificial intelligence.

If you followed our coverage during the last go-around, you know the deal still needs a green light from the WGA board before it's sent to union members for ratification. If ratified, the process to locking down a new deal would be close to the complete opposite of what went down with the current contract, which came at the end of a 148-day strike. The news comes as the staff of the WGA West continues to strike to secure a better working deal with the union headquarters, which has now passed the six-week mark.

"The WGA Negotiating Committee has unanimously approved a tentative agreement with the AMPTP for the 2026 Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA). This deal protects writers' health plan and puts it on a sustainable path, builds on gains from 2023, and helps address free work challenges. Members will receive more information in the coming days," read the statement from the WGA this weekend, confirming the tentative agreement. The AMPTP added, "The AMPTP has reached a tentative agreement with the WGA. We look forward to building on this progress as we continue working toward agreements that support long-term industry stability."

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