SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP break off negotiations to end actors' strike

The discrepancies between the demands of the studios and the actors have hindered a resolution, leading to a stoppage that will soon extend to three months.

Imágenes de actores y guionistas manifestándose en la doble huelga de Hollywood que ha paralizado a la industria del entretenimiento en la nación. — (Cordon Press)

Published by

Alejandro Baños

October 12, 2023

Topics:

The Hollywood strike continues to falter. This Thursday, the negotiations between the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMTPT) broke down after it appeared that both parties couldn´t reach an understanding and put an end to a break that is almost three months old. The actors are demanding a salary increase for the use of their images with artificial intelligence.

Through a statement, the studios assured that "the gap between the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA is too great, and conversations are no longer moving us in a productive direction."

October 11 Statement From AMPTP_Voz Media by VozMedia on Scribd

In its letter, the AMPTP explained that the SAG-AFTRA proposal would cost production companies an additional $800 million per year, which would imply "an unsustainable economic burden."

For their part, the actors' representatives issued a letter in which they accused the other party of "refusing to protect the artists," in addition to "not wanting to increase their salaries":

They refuse to protect performers from being replaced by AI, they refuse to increase your wages to keep up with inflation, and they refuse to share a tiny portion of the immense revenue your work generates for them.

They also argue that the AMPTP "has intentionally misrepresented" the cost it would entail, "exaggerating it by 60%."