No end in sight for Hollywood actors' strike as it reaches 100 days

SAG-AFTRA members strike in Los Angeles demanding better pay and protections from the use of AI in their work

A still from the writers' strike

From May 2 the Writers Guild of America (WGA), representing 11,500 screenwriters, went on strike over a labour dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

Now after it ended on September 27, all writers have gone back to work, but TV actors have kept the strike ongoing. It has now become the longest strike in history hitting the 100-day mark. The actors' union and an alliance representing major studios announced in a joint statement on Sunday, October 22, that negotiations will resume next week on Tuesday, with several studio executives expected to join.

What is more concerning now?

The matter of concern is that it is still unclear how long the negotiations will take, but both sides have expressed a commitment to reaching a deal. In the meantime, the union has advised its members to be prepared for a strike if necessary.

The strike has been deadly

The SAG-AFTRA strike has been devastating all these months for both inside and outside of Hollywood. California has lost $5 billion due to this strike, but an agreement would mean returning to work without disrupting the fall TV season or next summer's movies.

What union chief said?

In an interview, union's chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland stated, “Their position was the only way they’ll keep talking is if we give them a whole new set of counters. They’re not going to respond to what we gave them. They just want us to go back and start over and that’s not going to happen.”

According to a few US media, A-list actors like George Clooney, Emma Stone and Tyler Perry have offered a proposal to the union to end the actors' strike. The proposal includes several measures, including having the guild's highest-paid members pay more in dues. While the proposal was rejected by the guild, it suggested that some members were becoming impatient to resolve the strike.

Share