Everything You Should Know About the SAG-AFTRA Strike.
The entertainment industry has been buzzing with news about the recent developments surrounding SAG-AFTRA. SAG-AFTRA is the prominent union representing actors in United States film and television productions. In a unanimous decision, the association has issued a strike order against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the trade group responsible for negotiating labor agreements with unions on behalf of studios, broadcast networks, and streaming services. As a result, the strike will halt most movie and television productions involving live performers until an agreement is reached. Additionally, actors will be restricted from participating in press and promotional events like junkets and red-carpet premieres. Notably, this strike marks the first time in over 60 years that SAG-AFTRA members will join the writers in their strike. The strike is scheduled for midnight on Thursday, July 13.
Understanding SAG-AFTRA’s Function
Unions utilize collective bargaining to gain leverage in negotiations. Currently, SAG-AFTRA boasts a significant membership of actors with experience in front of the camera. SAG-AFTRA members are prohibited from working as performers in any production without an agreement with the union. Any project wishing to employ SAG-AFTRA actors, including independent films, short films, and student films, must first engage with the league, which will determine the appropriate agreement based on the production type and budget size. These agreements establish payment terms, residual amounts, and guidelines for treating actors.
SAG-AFTRA holds an overarching contract with the AMPTP, representing significant studios and streaming platforms. This contract is renegotiated every three years, influencing the quality of paid acting jobs. As the expiration date approaches, SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP’s negotiation teams meet to address updates and resolve disagreements, ensuring a smooth transition to a new contract without gaps. The last contract expired on June 30 without a new agreement.
Reasons Behind the Current Hollywood Strikes
I’ve noticed an unusually contentious atmosphere between producers and the workforce in the entertainment industry. The “hot labor summer” has gained traction for a reason. The Writers Guild of America (WGA), representing film and television writers, and the Directors Guild of America (DGA), operate on three-year contracts with the AMPTP. Historically, these contracts have been synchronized, starting with the WGA.
On May 30, the WGA contract expired without an agreement, prompting members to go on strike and picketing for over two months. Writers are striking due to the increasingly unviable nature of writing careers that offer sustainable incomes. This issue arises primarily because streaming services, which currently enjoy lower payment obligations under existing agreements, have gained a significant market share. The WGA has a history of being prepared to strike, as witnessed in the influential 2008 writers’ strike and nearly repeated in 2017. However, the disruptive impact of streaming has affected all industry stakeholders, raising hopes that the DGA and SAG-AFTRA would join the writers in a “triple strike” alongside them.
In anticipation of negotiations, SAG-AFTRA’s leadership called for a strike authorization vote. This vote grants the negotiating team the power to call for a strike if they believe it to be the most effective strategy for securing a fair deal. Unions typically hold such votes when negotiations hit an impasse, as was the case between the AMPTP and WGA. Calling for a strike authorization before negotiations commence signifies the union’s determination to stand firm on their demands. The wide margin of approval in the authorization vote, with 97.6% of SAG-AFTRA members supporting it, demonstrates their readiness to make the necessary short-term sacrifices for a more robust industry labor environment in the long run. The votes were counted on June 3.
SAG-AFTRA’s Demands from the AMPTP
While specific details remain undisclosed, internal communications from SAG-AFTRA emphasize the need for improved pay, increased contributions to the union’s pension and health fund, and bringing streaming service residuals in line with those received from theatrical and broadcast productions. The association also seeks stricter regulations for “self-taped auditions,” which have become commonplace. Rather than attending casting sessions to be recorded, actors are now expected to register themselves, which places additional burdens on actors who must acquire recording equipment and find their scene partners.
Furthermore, there is growing concern about the potential impact of AI. The prospect of creative workers being replaced by generative AI seems more imminent than ever, and actors may be particularly vulnerable. Voiceover actors are already experiencing competition from AI-generated performances. Despite strong support for entertainment unions on social media and in public demonstrations, videos employing AI voiceovers instead of actors continue to go viral, seemingly without contradiction. Amidst the negotiations of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA contracts, the DGA concluded its negotiations with the AMPTP and has already received membership approval for the deal. However, criticism of the agreement revolves around the perceived loopholes in protecting directors from dilution of their work by AI.
Events Leading to the SAG-AFTRA Strike
Although the June 30 deadline has passed, the negotiating team initially agreed to extend talks until July 12. While a strike has been authorized, the union is not obliged to initiate it immediately. A video featuring SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher was released to reassure members that negotiations were progressing well. However, some members interpreted it as a sign that the negotiating team might settle for a deal that exceeds their expectations. In response, hundreds of members, including prominent figures like Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, and Quinta Brunson, signed a letter to express their preparedness to strike and their concern that leadership might not fully represent their interests. Discrepancies between union leadership and rank-and-file members are not uncommon. In 2021, the labor movement started when IATSE, the union representing many behind-the-camera workers, authorized a strike. However, it ultimately did not occur, as the negotiating team accepted a tentative agreement that was narrowly approved by the membership. Some IATSE members felt their leadership needed to represent them then effectively.
A divide between members and leaders harms worker movements, as solidarity is vital. SAG-AFTRA’s leadership realigned with their members, as evidenced by their distribution of survey cards to every member, inquiring about their potential contributions to a picket line. The last time actors and writers went on strike was in 1960, establishing a residual system that supported an entertainment industry “middle class” for generations.
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