2023-07-13 19:33:00
Hollywood actors announced Thursday that they will join screenwriters in a strike once morest the studios, in the first joint walkout in the industry since the 1960s.
The actors’ guild issued a statement announcing that their deadline for negotiations had expired without reaching a contract. The statement came hours following this year’s Best of Television Emmy nominations were announced.
Negotiations failed on a new contract with studios and streaming services.
SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher, left, and SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland speak during a news conference announcing a strike by the Screen Actors Guild -American Federation of Television and Radio Artists on Thursday, July 13, 2023, in Los Angeles. This is the first time since the 1960s that Hollywood actors and screenwriters have gone on strike at the same time.
Credit: Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, executive director of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), told a news conference that union leaders voted in favor of the walkout hours following their contract to expire and end negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) who represent their employers, including Disney, Netflix, Amazon and others.
“The strike is an instrument of last resort,” he said.
Union leaders told the conference that they voted unanimously for the strike to begin at midnight. Outside the Netflix offices in Hollywood, unemployed screenwriters chanted, “Pay your actors!” immediately following the strike was announced.
The announcement was felt even during the premiere of Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan’s new production, following the actors withdrew following initially going to the cinema for the premiere.
It is the first strike by film and television actors since 1980. And it is the first time that two major Hollywood unions have gone on strike at the same time since 1960, when Ronald Reagan was president of the actors’ union.
What do the actors say?
“Businesses have refused to engage meaningfully on some issues and on others they have blocked us outright. Until they negotiate in good faith, we can’t begin to come to an agreement,” said Fran Drescher, the star of “The Nanny” who is now the president of the Actors Guild.
The group representing the studios, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), said it was disappointed that no deal was reached.
“This is the union’s choice, not ours. In doing so, it has scrapped our offer of salary and royalty increases, substantially higher limits on pension and health contributions, hearing protection, shorter serial option periods, a groundbreaking proposal on artificial intelligence that protects digital images from actors and more,” the AMPTP said in a statement.
He added that instead of continuing to negotiate, “SAG-AFTRA has set us on a path that will deepen the financial hardship of thousands who depend on the industry for their livelihood.”
What do the producers and heads of Hollywood studios say?
Disney boss Bob Iger warned Thursday that an actors’ strike would have a “very damaging effect on the entire industry.”
“This is the worst time in the world to increase that disruption,” Iger said in an appearance on CNBC. “There is a level of expectation that (striking unions) have that is simply not realistic.”
A contract extension and negotiations for almost two weeks increased hostility between the two sides.
Before negotiations began on June 7, 65,000 actors voted overwhelmingly to strike, as the Writers Guild of America did when their contract expired more than two months ago.
As the initial deadline approached in late June, more than 1,000 union members, including Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and Bob Odenkirk, added their names to a letter telling leaders their willingness to strike.
Film and television writers go on strike following failing to reach an agreement regarding their salaries
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