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

SAG-AFTRA/AMPTP Talks Will Have "Different Vibe": Crabtree-Ireland

SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland on why this round of talks with the AMPTP will have a "different vibe."

Earlier this week, we took a look at what SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland had to share about the union's goals and objectives heading into formal negotiations with the AMPTP on a new three-year deal (though rumblings are that the AMPTP may be looking for a five-year deal). During an interview with Deadline Hollywood, Crabtree-Ireland and new SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin tackled a number of issues at play heading into the start of talks next month. One factor that could impact how these talks go compared to the last round that led to an industry-crippling strike is the change in leadership over at the AMPTP, with Greg Hessinger taking over for Carol Lombardini.

"I do think there'll be a different vibe in this new configuration," Crabtree-Ireland shared. "I've known Greg for more than 20 years. I worked with Greg when he was the executive director of AFTRA and then the executive director of SAG." Crabtree-Ireland noted that Hessinger is "very focused on helping smooth the process to reach a deal," adding, "And I believe he has the confidence of the companies that he represents. And rightly so, because he's an excellent negotiator. He is going to be a very tough negotiator, but he is someone who knows how to make a deal. And if the companies are committed to making a deal, which I hope they are, he is somebody who can help make that happen."

As he noted earlier during CES, Crabtree-Ireland is "confident that this negotiation will be successful, but we're not going to accept any deal that isn't fair to our members, period." To that end, he added, "Both Sean and I have very high expectations for these negotiations. We achieved a lot in 2023, and we have a lot that we didn't get done in 2023 that we expect to get done now."

The next round of negotiations will run under new union leadership. In September 2025, the union announced that Astin (a member of previous SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher's slate) had defeated Chuck Slavin for SAG-AFTRA President. In addition, Michelle Hurd bested Peter Antico for SAG-AFTRA secretary-treasurer. Astin received 16,143 (79.25%) votes, to Slavin's 4,228 (20.75%). Hurd received 13,135 (64.77%) votes, to Antico's 7,144 (35.23%).

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