When negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers got back underway earlier this month, there was hope a fair deal would be reached for the actors.
However, that all came crashing down Wednesday evening when it emerged that talks had, once again, broken down.
The AMPTP said that the gap between the sides is “too great” for resolution at this time.
The union shared a lengthy statement addressing the situation and accused the AMPTP of “bully tactics” throughout the latest round of negotiations.
The guild said that the AMPTP is “putting out misleading information in an attempt to fool our members into abandoning our solidarity and putting pressure on our negotiators.”
“It is with profound disappointment that we report the industry CEOs have walked away from the bargaining table after refusing to counter our latest offer,” the statement continued.
“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.”
The guild says that the studios “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.”
SAG-AFTRA wants a share of streaming revenue for all union-covered shows and says the revenue share proposal “would cost the companies less than 57 cents per subscriber each year.”
The actors union says that the AMPTP has “intentionally misrepresented to the press the cost of the above proposal – overstating it by 60%.”
“SAG-AFTRA’s current offer included what it characterized as a viewership bonus that, by itself, would cost more than $800 million per year – which would create an untenable economic burden,” the studio group said in their own statement.
“SAG-AFTRA presented few, if any, moves on the numerous remaining open items.”
“After meaningful conversations, it is clear that the gap between the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA is too great, and conversations are no longer moving us in a productive direction.”
“We hope that SAG-AFTRA will reconsider and return to productive negotiations soon,” the AMPTP added.
SAG-AFTRA members have been on strike since July 13, 2023.
The writers’ strike ended on October 9, 2023, lasting 146 days.
Hopefully, a deal will be reached in the near future that compensates actors for their contributions to the shows we know and love.
Without the shows starring these actors, TV Fanatic wouldn’t exist.
What are your thoughts on the latest update on the strike?
Hit the comments.