SAG-AFTRA has agreed to a last-minute call for federal mediation of its contract, but indicated it will not extend its contract deadline beyond Wednesday at midnight.
That would appear to leave relatively little time for a mediator to avert a strike, which could begin as soon as Thursday morning.
In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, the union emphasized that “time is running out” and made clear that relations between the two sides have become extremely strained.
The union said it remains committed to getting a deal by the deadline, but added, “we are not confident that the employers have any intention of bargaining toward an agreement.”
“The AMPTP has abused our trust and damaged the respect we have for them in this process,” the union said. “We will not be manipulated by this cynical ploy to engineer an extension when the companies have had more than enough time to make a fair deal.”
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers proposed calling in the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to help broker an agreement. Disney’s Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos and Apple’s Zack Van Amburg, held conference calls on Monday at which they approved the plan to seek mediation.
High-level agents, including CAA’s Bryan Lourd and Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, have also been active in trying to get the two sides to make progress.
“We are here to get a deal that ensures our members can earn a living wage in our expansive industry we help make possible with our work,” the union said in its statment. “The AMPTP can make this happen at any time. They know what our members need and when they bring that to the table, we will be listening, but it’s important to know – time is running out.”
A SAG-AFTRA strike would shut down scripted TV and film production conducted by the AMPTP companies worldwide.
SAG-AFTRA members who have volunteered to be strike captains were out on the picket lines on Tuesday getting training from their brethren in the Writers Guild of America.
“We’re mobilized and prepared to do whatever we need to do to support our membership,” said B.J. Lange, who was getting training at the Paramount lot.
At Netflix headquarters nearby, many SAG-AFTRA members were marching with the WGA, as they have done for two months.
“My expectation is that we will strike,” said Tessa Claire Hersh, a SAG-AFTRA member. “There’s a consciousness around the possibility of strikes. There’s a huge amount of people who are aware, interested and motivated right now. So it’s an opportunity to take advantage of. And it’s also an urgent time… Things are bad now and could get much worse.”
Ryan Faja, another SAG-AFTRA member, agreed.
“Everyone I know wants us to strike,” he said. “It just feels like it’s going that way. It’s just harder to work in this industry and live in an expensive city like L.A. … It’s getting harder because people at the top just want more for themselves.”
The SAG-AFTRA contract was initially set to expire on June 30, but was extended for 12 days after both sides agreed to keep trying to make progress. While there have been agreements in some areas, major differences remain, including on artificial intelligence and streaming residuals.
SAG-AFTRA is also seeking significant wage hikes and more money for its pension and health plans.
On Monday, SAG-AFTRA leadership held a meeting for entertainment publicists, at which they spelled out the rules if a strike is called. Actors and other performers will be barred not only from going to set, but also from doing interviews to promote their work.
The WGA has been on strike since May 2.
