SAG-AFTRA, AMPTP set to resume talks on Monday for first time since July
SAG-AFTRA strikers picketing in LA this summer (photo: SAG-AFTRA)
Actors’ union SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) are set to resume negotiations on Monday, the organisations confirmed on last night.
The two sides have not officially returned to the bargaining table since mid-July, when the 160,000-member union went on strike.
Fran Drescher
The resumption of negotiations comes on the heels of the end of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, which concluded at 00:01 Pacific Time after the guild ironed out its deal with the studios. WGA members must still ratify the deal but have been permitted to resume work in the meantime.
In a brief statement, SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP confirmed that “several” executives from AMPTP member companies will be in attendance at this new round of talks.
Disney CEO Bob Iger, WBD president and CEO David Zaslav, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and NBCUniversal Studio Group chairman and chief content officer Donna Langley all became personally involved in negotiations with the WGA over the past two weeks as the studios pushed to get a deal over the line.
The involvement of studio execs in renewed talks with SAG-AFTRA was widely expected, as the studios and streamers push to get productions up and running before the end of the year.
The last time SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP leaders sat across from one another, a federal mediator was brought in to try and rescue a deal before the expiration of the prior agreement. That was unsuccessful and SAG-AFTRA went on strike, with president Fran Drescher giving a blistering address calling out the studios for unfair treatment of workers.
“It came with great sadness that we came to this crossroads. But we had no choice. We are the victims here. We are being victimised by a very greedy entity,” she said at the time.
However, a great deal has changed since mid-July, and SAG-AFTRA is now the only Hollywood union on strike, meaning there is significant added pressure to reach a deal that would get the entire industry back to work.
The actors and writers share many of the same issues, including the use of AI, basic pay and streaming-era residuals.
