Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and over 400 other actors have addressed SAG-AFTRA leaders in a letter, threatening to strike if a harder line does not get drawn regarding contact deals.
“This is not a moment to meet in the middle, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that the eyes of history are on all of us. We ask that you push for all the change we need and protections we deserve and make history doing it. If you are not able to get all the way there, we ask that you use the power given to you by us, the membership, and join the WGA on the picket lines. For our union and its future, this is our moment. We hope that, on our behalf, you will meet that moment and not miss it.”
They declared they are "prepared to strike if it comes to that" and are "concerned by the idea that SAG-AFTA (Screen Actors Guild — American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) members may be ready to make sacrifices that leadership is not.”
The letter requested negotiators do not settle for anything less than a “transformative deal.”
The actors also noted residuals, healthcare, pensions, self-tapes and that studios consider streaming growth.
“We feel that our wages, our craft, our creative freedom, and the power of our union have all been undermined in the last decade. We need to reverse those trajectories. With inflation and continued growth in streaming, we need a seismic realignment of our minimum pay and new media residuals, our exclusivity carveouts, and other terms.”
Members of SAG-AFTRA have previously voted to authorise a strike against AMPTP, which represents the major studios, if a new contract isn't reached by June 30th.
Some of the actors who signatures are on the letter are Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Constance Wu, Natasha Lyonne, Laure Linney, Ben Stiller, Glenn Close, Julia Luis Dreyfus, Elliot Page, Amy Poehler, Quinta Brunson, Liam Neeson, Emmy Rossum, Amy Schumer, Neil Patrick Harris and more.
The letter has appeared days after the president of the union, Fran Drescher revealed talks were "extremely productive" and "laser-focused on all of the crucial issues you told us are most important to you,” indicating a deal was close even though both sides are still not seeing eye to eye.
SAG-AFTRA's demands come after the WGA officially went on strike last month, with negotiations breaking down between WGA and AMPTP.
The letter emphasises negotiations for “fair pay that reflects the value of our contribution to company success and includes protections to ensure that writing survives as a sustainable profession.”
“The companies’ behavior has created a gig economy inside a union workforce, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing. From their refusal to guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic television, to the creation of a ‘day rate’ in comedy variety, to their stonewalling on free work for screenwriters and on AI for all writers, they have closed the door on their labor force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession. No such deal could ever be contemplated by this membership.”
The AMPTP felt they offered "generous" compensation.
“Negotiations between the AMPTP and the WGA concluded without an agreement today. The AMPTP presented a comprehensive package proposal to the Guild last night which included generous increases in compensation for writers as well as improvements in streaming residuals. The AMPTP also indicated to the WGA that it is prepared to improve that offer, but was unwilling to do so because of the magnitude of other proposals still on the table that the Guild continues to insist upon. The primary sticking points are ‘mandatory staffing,’ and ‘duration of employment’ — Guild proposals that would require a company to staff a show with a certain number of writers for a specified period of time, whether needed or not.”
Shows such as 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,' 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' and 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' have gone on hiatus and are airing repeats, since the strike started.
Scripted TV shows are filmed in advance, so fans haven’t felt the immediate impact.
Various writer’s rooms however have stopped including 'Yellowjackets' and 'Abbott Elementary,' and some shows have stopped mid-productions including 'Stranger Things.'
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