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SAG-AFTRA: Fran Drescher on Agreement "Naysayers" & More: Details
SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher addressed those pushing back on the tentative agreement over the weekend; Memorandum of Agreement update.
When it was announced that 86% of the union's national board approved the tentative agreement that had the full support of the SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee, we couldn't get past that 14% that didn't support it. And then, over the weekend, there were rumblings from members over the weekend regarding when they would have the chance to review the full agreement. Addressing the concerns that actors should have regarding AI prior to the tentative agreement, Justine Bateman pushed back on the deal, making the argument that the AI agreement doesn't do nearly enough to protect actors. "Bottomline, we are in for a very unpleasant era for actors and crew. The use of 'digital doubles' alone will reduce the number of available jobs because bigger name actors will have the opportunity to double or triple-book themselves on multiple projects at once," Bateman wrote at one point, questioning why SAG-AFTRA "would give approval of those same actors being replaced by an AI Object." And that brings us to today's SAG-AFTRA Official Member Informational Meeting on Zoom – with union president Fran Drescher pushing back on the "naysayers" and "low-level people who are buzzing" against the deal. As for members having access to the Memorandum of Agreement prior to the ratification vote, the union's chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, tempered expectations in the area, also.
Dresher on SAG-AFTRA Member Pushback on Tentative Agreement: While not naming names, Drescher wanted to make it clear to those attending the virtual meeting "that nobody was thrown under the bus" by the tentative agreement. "If you read things like that, it's very inflammatory and unfortunate because it's using social media and chat rooms to advance someone's personal agenda," Drescher shared, adding that many of them are "principled people who will vote over one issue or kill an entire deal that benefits so many because of one issue that was not obtained." Urging voting members "to not think that way," Drescher added that "in negotiation, you have to weigh and measure and, and make your informed decision on behalf of the greater good."
Crabtree-Ireland on Getting Memorandum of Agreement Prior to Voting: While the 18-page summary has gone live, Crabtree-Ireland shared with those attending the meeting that the full scope of the agreement may not be available prior to the ratification vote. "I want to just know that has never been the case in the past that we've had a Memorandum of Agreement done in time for the ratification process. This contract negotiation is even more expansive than any of the prior ones – certainly than I've been involved in my last 23 years here. We will do our best to try and get that completed in time to publish it for purposes of the ratification vote, but the 18-page summary of the agreement is what we have ready now, and that's what's posted," Crabtree-Ireland explained – noting that this would be the first time that full agreement wasn't available in time for voting. "I think that you should know that's been what we've always published in the past and has very detailed and extensive information about what's been agreed to in the contract. So, we will definitely do the best we can on that front, but just wanted to let everybody know what to expect there."
On Sunday evening, "Regulating Artificial Intelligence" was released, offering an overview of the AI protections secured in the deal that covers Employment-Based Digital Replica, Independently Created Digital Replica, Generative Artificial Intelligence, and Digitial Replication of Background Actors:
In addition, here are the links to the Summary Agreement that also went live – as well as a look back at the Strike Suspension Agreement and an updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) covering the voting process, returning to work, and more:
"This new contract achieves the much-needed gains your union has been working toward all year. SAG-AFTRA members made it clear that we needed a game-changing contract and AI protections. This contract does just that. This is why the union is urging you to vote 'Yes' so you can lock in the over $1 billion in new compensation and benefit plan funding," reads the answer to the question in the FAQ about why the union is urging members to vote "YES" on the deal. "This agreement also creates a precedent that the AMPTP has agreed to AI protections. If ratified, other unions can model our contract language in their future negotiations." If ratified, the new three-year deal will run through June 30, 2026.
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