SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher Hopes Audiences Realize Why Strike Is Necessary, "It's Going to Happen to You and Your Family"
Entertainment history was made on Thursday, with the actors guild SAG-AFTRA confirming that its members will be going on strike, after not reaching a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). This will be the first actors' strike of its kind in decades, with modern issues such as streaming residuals and AI likenesses coming to the forefront. While the prospect of Hollywood ostensibly shutting down during the strike, especially on top of the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, might seems daunting to some fans, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher is hopeful that audiences will see why it is happening.
"What makes you think they're not interested in what's happening here?" Drescher said during the SAG-AFTRA press conference announcing the strike. "I think that they have an allegiance to all of us because we bring joy to their lives, and during COVID, they turned to us for everything. So I don't think that your assumption that they don't really care about anything but being entertained over the summer is the bottom line, when the people that give so much to them and enrich their lives in so many ways, are saying, 'We are being taken advantage of in a terrible way.' And if we let this happen to us, dollars for doughnuts, it's gonna happen to you and your family, your children, and everybody that you work with too. That's how threatening this moment is in our nation's history."
Why Are SAG-AFTRA Going on Strike?
In a statement tied to the announcement, SAG-AFTRA representatives revealed that the strike is commencing after four weeks of negotiations with the AMPTP, and an existing negotiation extension from June 30th to July 12th. Back in May, SAG-AFTRA's national board unanimously agreed to send an authorization vote to members, with and 97.91 percent of members ultimately voting in favor to authorize.
"Yesterday our union celebrated the 90th anniversary of the incorporation of Screen Actors Guild," Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator said during a press conference. "During our nearly century long existence we've fought for and achieved countless gains for working actors. Today, we embark on a new important chapter in our unions history. Earlier this morning, the SAG-AFTRA national board convened following four weeks of negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television producers in a meeting, because AMPTP remains unwilling to offer a fair deal on key issues essential to protecting the livelihoods of working actors and performers. SAG AFTRA as national board unanimously voted to issue a strike order against the studios and streamers."
Will the SAG-AFTRA Strike Impact Comic-Con?
Under the current rules, striking SAG-AFTRA members are asked not to participate in ongoing film or television productions, meaning virtually all that were still filming amid the WGA strike will now be shut down. Members are also instructed not to promote any upcoming or past projects, campaign for Emmy or other acting awards, or attend the San Diego Comic-Con convention later this month.