SAG-AFTRA and Hollywood studios will be back at the negotiating table on Tuesday as both sides remain “far apart on key issues,” according to the union.
As the historic 2023 performers’ strike rages on, the parties took Monday to confer amongst themselves. “The committee worked independently today. We will be meeting with the AMPTP Tuesday,” the negotiating committee told members on Monday night. “While talks over the past week have been productive, we remain far apart on key issues.”
Major open items that still have to be buttoned up in upcoming sessions include AI guardrails and SAG-AFTRA’s attempt to share in streaming project revenue, among other deal points, a union-side source says.
The negotiating committee continued, “Please help us keep pressure on the AMPTP by showing up on the picket lines, raising your voices at rallies across the country and by posting messages of support and strength on social media.”
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to the AMPTP for comment.
The union statement appears to throw cold water on rising hopes around the industry — or at least seeks to manage expectations — that an imminent deal is at hand. The parties restarted negotiations on Tuesday, Oct. 24 and have been meeting on and off ever since, including over the weekend. Prior to Monday, sources had generally expressed that this latest series of negotiations had been filling them with confidence, even as the bones of a new three-year contract were not yet in place. A sense of time pressure was at play as well: During the latest round of bargaining, studio negotiators have impressed upon the union that if they do not make a deal this week, the first week in November, their 2024 summer film slates are in major peril.
A studio-side source, however, remained optimistic on Monday that a tentative deal could be reached soon.
As of Monday, the actors strike had been ongoing for 109 days, taking a toll on both the industry and the larger economy. The combined actors strike and former writers worker stoppage, which concluded in September, have nearly taken a $6 billion toll on the U.S. at large, Milken Institute chief global strategist Kevin Klowden estimated in September.
Members of the negotiating committee including Sean Astin and Frances Fisher hit the SAG-AFTRA picket lines on Monday after the union exhorted its members the previous night to “join us and flood the picket lines in the morning.”
In keeping with the union’s focus on AI regulation in this year’s contract cycle, SAG-AFTRA also thanks President Joe Biden on Monday for issuing an executive order to ensure “safe, secure and trustworthy” applications of the technology, which included a section on protecting workers from harmful uses. Calling the order “groundbreaking,” the union added, “For strong, safe & responsible AI development & use, it is imperative that workers & unions remain at the forefront of policy development. We look forward to working together for a human centered approach.”
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