Breakdown in Negotiations Between Hollywood Actors and Studios Halts Strike Progress

21

Negotiations between Hollywood actors and studios have come to a halt, dashing hopes of a swift resolution to the performers’ strike that has persisted for almost three months, unlike the recent quick resolution of the writers’ strike.

Late Wednesday night, the studios officially announced the suspension of contract negotiations, citing an insurmountable gap in positions as the primary reason.

On October 2, after a hiatus since the strike commenced on July 14, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) had resumed talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), representing studios, streaming services, and production firms in these discussions. In contrast to the successful outcome of the writers’ negotiations last month, progress was not achieved in the case of the actors’ union.

The studios decided to withdraw from negotiations upon reviewing the actors’ latest proposal presented on Wednesday.

The AMPTP issued a statement, asserting, “It is evident that the disparities between AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA are too substantial, and discussions are no longer moving in a constructive direction.”

The proposed plan by SAG-AFTRA was estimated to impose an additional annual cost of $800 million on companies, creating an economically unviable burden, according to the AMPTP statement.

At this time, representatives from the actors’ union have not responded to requests for comment.

The strike by actors revolves around several issues, including demands for increased compensation for streaming content and greater control over the use of their likenesses generated through artificial intelligence.

The AMPTP maintains that their offers were on par with the agreements that concluded the writers’ strike and secured a fresh contract for the directors’ guild earlier this year.

From the outset, negotiations with actors lacked the momentum that had driven round-the-clock negotiations during the writers’ strike, leading to a swift resolution in that case. Unlike the writers’ strike, actors and studios had taken multiple days off after resuming discussions, with no substantial progress reported, despite direct involvement from top studio executives, including those from Disney and Netflix.

The Writers Guild of America voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratifying their new contract on Monday. Their leaders hailed the agreement as having achieved most of their objectives from when they initiated the strike nearly five months ago. Consequently, they declared the strike officially ended and called writers back to work on September 26.

Late-night talk shows returned to the airwaves within a week, with other programs, such as “Saturday Night Live,” expected to follow suit. However, with the actors still on strike, production for scripted television shows and movies remains indefinitely halted.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Hollywood Strike

More about Hollywood Strike

• Hollywood Strike Talks
• Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA)
• Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP)
• Writers Strike Resolution
• Streaming Compensation Demands
• Entertainment Industry Labor Dispute