After more than a week of negotiations between the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA in the hopes of ending the strike with a new deal, the AMPTP has reportedly walked away from the bargaining table.
Coming off the tremendous win by the WGA in being able to negotiate a deal to end their strike on September 26th, it seemed the AMPTP was eager to get back to the table. And, after over a week of bargaining on both sides, it seemed like there was potential for a second deal to be made. However, things took a turn for the worse on Wednesday.
According to an official statement from SAG-AFTRA, the AMPTP has walked away from negotiations with the actors guild. After spending Tuesday working independently on each side, SAG-AFTRA wrote that the AMPTP came back on Wednesday with a proposal that was “shockingly, worth less than they proposed before the strike began.”
SAG-AFTRA continued by saying that the AMPTP is refusing to protect their performers from AI, nor are they willing to increase wages to combat inflation. This is especially concerning given that the AMPTP seemingly wants to use AI to be able to use an actor’s likeness in perpetuity, no matter the scope of the project or whether the actor is still alive or not.
And, by not agreeing to increase wages in any meaningful way, they are saying that they are happy with the fact that 86% of SAG-AFTRA members are unable to qualify for healthcare due to their wages.
The actors guild continued by saying that they restructured their revenue share proposal, which would have “cost the companies less than $0.57 per subscriber each year.”
This is a concerning new development in the fight for fair wages and fair protections in Hollywood. And with productions still halted as the strike continues on, it’s only fair to wonder the ramifications this will have across the industry.
It’s beyond time the AMPTP made a fair deal with SAG-AFTRA.
