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Actors union considering latest offer from studios; no new talks set
The Industry Nov 06, 2023
The actors union headquarters in Los Angeles. | Photo courtesy of ismael daro/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
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Negotiators for the SAG-AFTRA actors union are mulling over a “best, last and final” offer from the major Hollywood studios aimed at ending a 114-day strike that’s brought film and scripted television production to a halt and are reviewing it Monday.
“The TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee analyzed and thoroughly discussed the AMPTP’s counter proposal all day and well into the night and will continue our deliberations on Monday. We will keep you updated,” SAG-AFTRA posted on social media to its members Sunday.
No specific details were released, but the proposal reportedly includes an enhanced residual bonus for high-performing streaming shows, comprehensive protections on the use of artificial intelligence and the highest increase in minimum residual payments in 40 years, Variety, the entertainment trade publication, reported.
“We didn’t just come toward you,” Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos reportedly told negotiators during Saturday’s Zoom session. “We came all the way to you.”
Meanwhile, no new talks are scheduled between the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios.
The latest developments come after the two sides met for roughly two hours Saturday and for each of the previous 12 days, according to multiple media reports.
Four top studio CEOs — Sarandos, David Zaslav of Warner Bros. Discovery, Donna Langley of NBCUniversal and Bob Iger of Disney — have periodically participated in the contract talks.
On Saturday, they were joined by an expanded team of studio executives that also included Paramount’s Brian Robbins; Disney’s Dana Walden and co-Chairman Alan Bergman; Amazon Studios’ Mike Hopkins and Jen Salke; Sony Pictures Chairperson Tony Vinciquerra; and Apple Studios’ Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, Variety reported.
SAG-AFTRA is seeking limitations on the use of artificial intelligence to re-create actors’ likenesses and performances, while the AMPTP has advocated for informed consent and fair pay in situations where performers are digitally replicated, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The studios have warned that unless a deal is reached within the week it will be impossible for broadcasters to salvage half a season of scripted television.
The 2024 summer movie season is also increasingly in peril, as more and more films have been delayed to 2025.
The union’s other demands include general wage increases, boosts in compensation for successful streaming programs and improvements in health and retirement benefits.
The strike is the longest film-TV work stoppage in the union’s history.
