SAG-AFTRA and studios extend contract negotiations to avoid strike

Hollywood is holding its breath as the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have agreed to extend their contract negotiations until July 12, postponing the possibility of a second industry strike.

The actors union, which represents about 160,000 performers, had previously voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if no deal was reached by June 30, when their current three-year film and TV contract was set to expire. However, in a statement on Friday, the union and the studios announced that they would continue talks past the deadline to allow more time for the two sides to reach a deal. The current contract will be extended to July 12.

"In order to exhaust every opportunity to achieve the righteous contract we all demand and deserve, after thorough deliberation it was unanimously decided to allow additional time to negotiate," SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher and National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said in a message to union members. "No one should mistake this extension for weakness."

The union has extended negotiations in previous bargaining rounds in 2014 and 2017 before eventually reaching deals. But the situation is more contentious this time around. Despite progress in talks, significant differences remain between the parties, which have sparred over how to measure streaming residuals and secure protections against the abuse of artificial intelligence, among other issues, sources told The Times.

Guild politics have also added uncertainty over the outcome of negotiations. Union leaders face heavy pressure from their members to hold the line in bargaining. After Drescher and Crabtree-Ireland expressed optimism about how negotiations were going, hundreds of actors, including many A-listers, delivered a blunt message this week that they’re prepared to strike if the union couldn’t deliver a “transformative deal.”

For now, the decision avoids or postpones a possibly painful second strike for Hollywood, with the actors joining in a national walkout for the first time since 1960. The last time actors went on strike was in 2000 in a dispute over their commercials contract. The previous strike against major studios was in 1988.

The extension probably also means the writers' strike could drag on as the AMPTP tries to secure a deal with the actors. The Writers Guild of America has been on strike since May 2, and many have predicted actors would join them on the picket lines. The directors' union has already reached a deal with the studios earlier this month.

Meanwhile, many actors in Los Angeles, New York and other cities have already been picketing outside studios in solidarity with the writers. The last time the Hollywood actors and writers were on strike at the same time was in 1960. Back then, there were just three broadcast networks. SAG had yet to merge with AFTRA. The Screen Actors Guild was led by a studio contract player named Ronald Reagan decades before he would become the country's president. Those strikes were fights over getting residuals when movies got aired on television.

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