SAG-AFTRA has officially declared that it is on strike, with actors set to begin their strike at midnight tonight. The board had its meeting on Thursday morning and voted unanimously to approve a strike recommendation forwarded by the negotiating committee.
As a result, union members will be able to join the WGA’s picket lines from the morning of Friday, July 14th. Productions that are part of the SAG-AFTRA TV and film contract must stop immediately. In addition, actors who are part of the union are not allowed to participate in any promotion of movies or series, including interviews, attending events, or even promoting projects on social media.
National executive director and chief negotiator of SAG-AFTRA Duncan Crabtree-Ireland states: “Union members should withhold their labor until a fair contract can be achieved. They have left us with no alternative.”
In a sometimes fiery and incredibly well-received speech which can be seen in full at NBC News, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher says: “We are being victimized by a very greedy enterprise. At some point you have to say ‘no, we’re not going to take this anymore. You people are crazy. What are you doing? Why are you doing this?’… The entire business model has been changed by streaming and A.I. If we don’t stand tall right now, we are all going to be in jeopardy. You cannot change the business model as much as it has been changed and not expect the contract to change too.”
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers has also released a statement saying: “A strike is certainly not the outcome we hoped for as studios cannot operate without the performers that bring our TV shows and films to life. The Union has regrettably chosen a path that will lead to financial hardship for countless thousands of people who depend on the industry.”
The strike is the first under the performers’ film and TV contract since 1980 and only the second time that actors have gone on strike alongside writers, with the previous instance occurring in 1960.
Source: Variety
