At the end of the third straight day in this round of negotiations, SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP may be close to striking a deal. Though no deal is in place, Deadline suggests the framework for a deal exists and will be the basis of discussion on Thursday as the two sides continue negotiations. It’s unclear if a deal will take place this week or next, and one insider tells the trade the mood in the negotiating room is more “upbeat” than it’s ever been.
AI continues to be a major roadblock in ongoing negotiations, as does success-based compensation in the age of streaming. Deadline says one source says it will still be “a few days” as exact wording is hammered out regarding both options.
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The latest update is a hard shift from what SAG-AFTRA officials have said of the studios just a few weeks ago. When the two sides met for the first time in months in early October, union officials said the AMPTP presented its lowest offer of the strike. It’s unclear what exactly has changed since then.
“We have negotiated with them in good faith, despite the fact that last week they presented an offer that was, shockingly, worth less than they proposed before the strike began,” SAG-AFTRA told the membership (via Variety). “These companies 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.”
“The companies are using the same failed strategy they tried to inflict on the WGA – putting out misleading information in an attempt to fool our members into abandoning our solidarity and putting pressure on our negotiators,” the union told Variety. “But, just like the writers, our members are smarter than that and will not be fooled.”
As of this writing, the actors’ strike has been underway for 111 days. The 2023 WGA strike, which ended earlier this month, lasted 148 days before an agreement was reached between the writers’ guild and AMPTP.
