Extension in Hollywood: Actors' Union postpones ultimatum to go on strike, despite demands from more than 1,000 actors

The ultimatum for actors to join the screenwriters' protest was delayed until July 12, following a last-minute agreement last Friday.

Existing contracts will remain intact until then, as agreed to by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

"Members should continue to report for work as usual up until further notice," SAG-AFRA explained in a statement. It also advised that "neither organization will comment to the media on negotiations during this period."

More than 1,000 actors are prepared to strike

Meryl Streep, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Neeson, Eva Longoria, Rami Malek and Brendan Fraser were among the actors who asked the SAG-AFTRA to go on strike.

More than 1,000 members sent a letter demanding that they "push for all the change we need and protections we deserve." They did so with less than a week left for SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to reach an agreement.

The requests made by the actors are similar to those made by the screenwriters eight weeks ago and which, at that time, were denied. The writers called for greater protection against the use of artificial intelligence (AI). They also demanded higher royalties and profits from the shows and movies they write for streaming platforms.

Actors' letter to SAG-AFTRA

The Screen Actors Guild had announced this past week what appeared to be an agreement. However, the more than 1,000 actors who signed the letter were not satisfied with that agreement, as they stated in the letter, which was reported by Variety:

Thank you for your hard work and your leadership navigating through this difficult negotiation in a truly unprecedented time. As SAG-AFTRA members, we’ve been impressed over the last few months by how our leadership outlined the unique stakes of the negotiations and the need for a realignment in our industry. We were glad to see SAG-AFTRA lead the way among the guilds in identifying AI as a threat to our livelihoods that must be addressed right now, a “game changer.” We felt as though you understood how wildly our pay and our residuals have been undermined, how long we’re being held between seasons. We’ve been filled with pride watching the union come together and deliver such an incredibly strong strike authorization vote.

But solidarity demands honesty, and we need to make clear our resolve. A strike brings incredible hardships to so many, and no one wants it. But we are prepared to strike if it comes to that. And we are concerned by the idea that SAG-AFTRA members may be ready to make sacrifices that leadership is not. We hope you’ve heard the message from us: This is an unprecedented inflection point in our industry, and what might be considered a good deal in any other years is simply not enough. We feel that our wages, our craft, our creative freedom, and the power of our union have all been undermined in the last decade. We need to reverse those trajectories. With inflation and continued growth in streaming, we need a seismic realignment of our minimum pay and new media residuals, our exclusivity carveouts, and other terms. We also think it’s absolutely vital that the deal restore dignity to the casting process by regulating how self-tapes are used. This is an enormous problem for working class actors. And especially as regards Artificial Intelligence, we do not believe that SAG-AFTRA members can afford to make halfway gains in anticipation that more will be coming in three years, and we think it is absolutely vital that this negotiation protects not just our likenesses, but makes sure we are well compensated when any of our work is used to train AI. We want you to know that we would rather go on strike than compromise on these fundamental points, and we believe that, if we settle for a less than transformative deal, the future of our union and our craft will be undermined, and SAG-AFTRA will enter the next negotiation with drastically reduced leverage.

This is not a moment to meet in the middle, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that the eyes of history are on all of us. We ask that you push for all the change we need and protections we deserve and make history doing it. If you are not able to get all the way there, we ask that you use the power given to you by us, the membership, and join the WGA on the picket lines. For our union and its future, this is our moment. We hope that, on our behalf, you will meet that moment and not miss it.

Directors avoid strike

As the countdown begins for the actors to potentially join the screenwriters' strike, the AMPTP scored a small victory. The Directors Guild (DGA) reached an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers last week.

The three-year agreement includes a 13% increase in the salaries of senior directors. For the first time, it will regulate the royalties they receive from streaming platforms. From now on, these will be calculated based on the number of international subscribers. Not only that, the new agreement guarantees that the work performed by directors will not be taken over by artificial intelligence under any circumstances. Along with this, it also prohibits the use of live ammunition on sets.