This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/30/sag-aftra-actors-union-contract-negotiations
The article has changed 10 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| A-list US actors show they are willing to strike as union deadline looms | A-list US actors show they are willing to strike as union deadline looms |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and others lend their names to demand a strong deal as writers’ strike enters third month | Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and others lend their names to demand a strong deal as writers’ strike enters third month |
| The US actors’ union and Hollywood studios were racing against a midnight deadline on Friday to negotiate a new contract, as A-listers made clear that they are very willing to join writers on the picket line if a deal could not be reached. | |
| Fran Drescher, the Sag-Aftra president, struck an optimistic note in a video to members released last week, saying negotiations with the studios were “extremely productive”. But with the actors’ current contract with studios set to expire at midnight on 30 June, negotiations appeared to be coming down to the wire. | |
| A strike by Sag-Aftra, which represents 160,000 actors, would come as Hollywood studios are already grappling with a nearly two-month work stoppage by the Writers Guild of America (WGA), who have been picketing over issues including wages, streaming royalties and the use of artificial intelligence in their work. It would represent the first two-union strike in the industry in more than six decades, with huge consequences for film and television production. | |
| The actor Phoebe Waller-Bridge, speaking to Reuters at the Indiana Jones premiere in London, noted that she was already on strike as a member of the WGA. | |
| “I’m on the edge of my seat hoping that Sag will follow suit and stand up in support of the writers, and just really hope we can get this sorted,” Waller-Bridge said. | |
| The industry news outlet Deadline reported on Thursday that Sag could potentially agree to extend the contract deadline, giving the union more time to negotiate a deal with studios before striking, even as Hollywood screenwriters, who have been on strike since early May, are preparing to enter the third month of picketing with no deal in sight. | |
| This week, news outlets reported, more than 300 actors, including some of Hollywood’s most prominent stars, circulated a letter to their union leaders urging them to fight for a strong deal, rather than compromise too soon. | |
| Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Quinta Brunson, Ben Stiller, Neil Patrick Harris and other celebrities signed the letter telling their leadership, “This is an unprecedented inflection point in our industry, and what might be considered a good deal in any other years is simply not enough,” Rolling Stone reported. | Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Quinta Brunson, Ben Stiller, Neil Patrick Harris and other celebrities signed the letter telling their leadership, “This is an unprecedented inflection point in our industry, and what might be considered a good deal in any other years is simply not enough,” Rolling Stone reported. |
| One of the key concerns the actors highlighted in the letter to their union leaders this week was how their work may be changed by artificial intelligence technologies, an issue that has also become central to the ongoing Hollywood writers’ strike. | One of the key concerns the actors highlighted in the letter to their union leaders this week was how their work may be changed by artificial intelligence technologies, an issue that has also become central to the ongoing Hollywood writers’ strike. |
| Sign up to Film Weekly | Sign up to Film Weekly |
| Take a front seat at the cinema with our weekly email filled with all the latest news and all the movie action that matters | Take a front seat at the cinema with our weekly email filled with all the latest news and all the movie action that matters |
| after newsletter promotion | after newsletter promotion |
| “We think it is absolutely vital that this negotiation protects not just our likenesses, but makes sure we are well compensated when any of our work is used to train AI,” the actors wrote to union leaders, according to Rolling Stone. | |
| In early June, nearly 98% of Sag members voted to authorise a strike if needed, a sign of the ongoing tensions between talent and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers as Hollywood’s business model has shifted increasingly towards digital and streaming models. | |
| A spokesperson for Sag, which agreed to a “media blackout” during its contract negotiations with the studios, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. | A spokesperson for Sag, which agreed to a “media blackout” during its contract negotiations with the studios, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. |
| Reuters contributed reporting |