SAG-AFTRA Strike Approved, It Is No Performance

TV & Film

Jun 6

Having a secret up your sleeve is the best preparation anyone can have before facing a difficult task. The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG-AFTRA for short, made use of this idea. SAG-AFTRA members voted in favor of a strike necessary for upcoming negotiations. After a two-week-long referendum, 98% of the union members voted in favor of the strike. This vote, however, only allows the guild’s negotiators to call for a halt of activities once the contracts expire on June 30.

Earlier this year, in April, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) obtained a similar percentage of authorization for a strike (97.85%) before they negotiated with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The WGA ended up going on strike on May 2. Does this mean that SAG-AFTRA will go on strike as well? It is a possibility depending on how negotiations go.

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Writers Strike picket — Image Source: Vanity Fair

Should the negotiations with the AMPTP fail the SAG-AFTRA members will go on strike once the TV/Theatrical contracts expire at the end of the month. The negotiations will begin on June 7, three weeks before the contracts expire. The union president Fran Drescher expressed in a statement her joy for the solidarity of the members and the position the heads of the union are in:

“The strike authorization votes have been tabulated and the membership joined their elected leadership and negotiating committee in favor of strength and solidarity. I’m proud of all of you who voted as well as those who were vocally supportive, even if unable to vote. Everyone played a part in this achievement. Together we lock elbows and in unity we build a new contract that honors our contributions in this remarkable industry, reflects the new digital and streaming business model, and brings ALL our concerns for protections and benefits into the now! Bravo SAG-AFTRA, we are in it to win it.”

The negotiations aim to protect the performers against generative A.I. in the contract and improve the rates of members as well as strengthen the union’s struggling health plan and limit the self-taped auditions, a practice that exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the noise created by the WGA strike, it is great to see more people raising their voices and fighting for their rights. Hopefully, the negotiations will resolve without issue and support the efforts of SAG-AFTRA.

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