SAG-AFTRA and Hollywood’s major studios will return to the bargaining table on Tuesday, nearly two weeks after management called off talks, saying the two sides were too far apart. The union’s negotiating committee confirmed in a message to members that the call to resume talks came from management.
“It is clear that the strength and solidarity shown by our members has sent an unmistakable message to the CEOs. As we have said repeatedly, we are ready, willing and able to meet at a moment’s notice and work across the table to reach a deal worthy of your sacrifice,” the SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee wrote.
News of the resumption of negotiations came Saturday afternoon in a brief joint statement from SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The statement noted that at least some executives from AMPTP member companies would also be in attendance. It comes as SAG-AFTRA’s first industry-wide strike in more than 40 years reaches the 100-day mark.
“SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP will meet for negotiations at the SAG-AFTRA Plaza on Tuesday, 24 October. Several executives from AMPTP member companies will be in attendance.”
The return to bargaining comes as internal pressure mounts on SAG-AFTRA leadership to find a way to resolve contract talks and the union’s first industry-wide strike since 1980. George Clooney, an A-lister with a rocky history with Hollywood unions, emerged this week with an alternative proposal to secure higher streaming residuals. It ruffled the feathers of SAG-AFTRA’s top brass and was a clear sign of unrest in the ranks.
The AMPTP took SAG-AFTRA by surprise late on 11 October when it abruptly announced a “pause” in talks because the two sides were simply too far apart on key issues.
Studio executives were more than a little irritated that four of Hollywood’s most senior executives had spent five full days in negotiations with the actors’ union without being able to bridge the key gaps. Union leaders Fran Drescher and Duncan Crabtree-Ireland stepped up picket activity and went on a media tour to warn the studios that the terms on the table on 11 October were not enough to end the strike.
The resumption of talks also comes against a ticking clock on the window of opportunity to shoot new TV episodes or films before the end of the year. Before SAG-AFTRA talks with the AMPTP took a sharp turn for the worse, industry insiders had been eyeing the week of November 6 as a possible date to get some shooting done, especially on TV projects that were almost ready to go when the WGA began its summer of strikes on May 2.
The four executives who attended the contract conclave with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA were Disney’s Bob Iger, NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos and Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav. It’s not immediately clear if the foursome will regroup for the new round with SAG-AFTRA or if there will be new faces at the table.
On the 100th day of our strike, we are pleased to confirm that management has asked us to return to the table. Official negotiations will resume on Tuesday, 24 October.
It is clear that the strength and solidarity shown by our members has sent an unmistakable message to management. As we have said repeatedly, we are ready, willing and able to come together at a moment’s notice and work across the table to achieve a deal worthy of your sacrifice. That includes this morning, as our biennial SAG-AFTRA Convention gets underway.
