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

SAG-AFTRA, AMPTP "Making Progress"; "Not There Yet": Crabtree-Ireland

In a video from earlier today, SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland shared some thoughts on how talks with AMPTP are going.

Although SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP won't be formally meeting today to finalize a new three-year deal to end the 109-day-long strike, work on both sides continues on Monday, with communication lines still active between the union and the studios & streamers (and an update on the negotiation schedule expected later today). Speaking with Deadline Hollywood (video below) during picketing outside of Netflix earlier today, SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland shared some cautious perspectives on how the talks have been going. "We worked all weekend, working with the company reps to try and move the ball forward. I remain cautiously optimistic about making progress. We are not there yet. So, any rumors that have been floating around that the deal was imminent… we have real substantive issues still between us, but we are working to make progress. We're going to be continuing this week as it takes until it's done. But those issues are important, and so there is no agreement until we reach that point," Crabtree-Ireland shared.

While the good vibes about how things are going are definitely there, Crabtree-Ireland also wanted to tamper down unrealistic expectations on where things stand at this point. "People seem to think we're at a point where we're just dotting I's and crossing T's. That's not the situation; there are substantive issues, [and] we're still working hard to bridge real gaps. But the dialogue has been productive and constructive. We're just gonna keep at it," he explained. And though it hasn't been brought up in the headline coverage of the talks lately, Crabtree-Ireland made clear that AI is still a core issue for the union. "I will say that AI is really important in this negotiation, it has been since day one. That is an area that we are particularly focused on right now. Because without bridging some key gaps in AI, we won't be able to reach a deal. That is an important area we're focused on," he added.

As for how quickly a deal could be reached, Crabtree-Ireland couldn't say – adding that much of it depends on how AMPTP responds to the union's proposals. "It's hard to say; it really depends on how the companies respond to what we put across the table to them. It could be something that moves quickly; it could be something where there's really a disconnect. So, it's very hard for me to predict any kind of timeframe on it," he explained. "Instead, really, what I would just say is, we are 100% laser-focused on moving this negotiation forward. That's why we were at it all weekend, and we'll stay at it until a deal is reached."

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