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SAG-AFTRA Union Members Overwhelmingly Authorize Strike Ahead Of Contract Negotiations
Exterior of the SAG-AFTRA labor union building on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles.
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Negotiations between Hollywood’s actors union and film and TV studios and streamers don’t start until Wednesday, but the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists already have made a preemptive statement by approving a strike if talks fail.
The significance of the vote
SAG-AFTRA leaders had asked its 160,000 members (who include actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, stunt performers and voiceover artists, among other professions) to approve a strike authorization vote. Balloting ended Monday, and nearly 98% of SAG/AFTRA members approved the vote. Union officials said just shy of half of the 65,000 union members cast ballots.
While the balloting does not guarantee a strike, it does allow SAG/AFTRA negotiators to call for a work stoppage if they are unable to reach an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers by June 30. The Writers Guild of America followed the same strike authorization strategy in its talks with the AMPTP; that work stoppage just entered its second month.
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“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,” Fran Drescher, the president of SAG/AFTRA, said in a statement.
What we know about the DGA deal
Over the weekend, the Directors Guild of America reached a tentative deal with the AMPTP. After the WGA and SAG-AFTRA congratulated the DGA on its new pact, the two unions told their members the DGA deal did not change their negotiating goals.
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director, said in a message to members:
“Our bargaining strategy has never relied upon nor been dependent on the outcome or status of any other union’s negotiations, nor do we subscribe to the philosophy that the terms of deals made with other unions bind us.”
Why an actors' strike would shut down the industry
While the WGA’s five-week-old strike has affected dozens of series and movies in production, it has not led to a blanket production shutdown. If SAG-AFTRA went on strike, almost all filming would cease immediately.
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In a statement, the AMPTP said, “We are approaching these negotiations with the goal of achieving a new agreement that is beneficial to SAG-AFTRA members and the industry overall.”
Note: LAist's content staff belong to SAG-AFTRA, but not the branch that represents actors.
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