Why it matters: A second strike could shut down Hollywood completely.
Hollywood has already been shut down at 80 percent since writers went on strike on May 2. While some TV shows and movies have gone on to shoot, the writers have been surprisingly effective in closing shows into production. If the actors joined them in picket lines, the production would shut down completely, a reality that would have a significant impact on local economies in Los Angeles and other filming locations such as Atlanta and New York. During the last writers’ strike 15 years ago, the Los Angeles economy lost an estimated $2.1 billion.
The effects of the double strike will soon be felt on your TV, with reruns of network shows and a possible spread of reality TV. Also, actors will no longer be able to promote new films, a reality that already exists largely because the writers’ strike forced late-night shows to go dark.
Background: Broadcasting and AI are bringing change.
Ever since Ronald Reagan was president of the Screen Actors Guild, writers and actors have been on strike at the same time. At the time, the actors were fighting over the hangover paid for licensing the films to television. Today, actors want to ensure higher wages and a better hangover in an entertainment landscape where studios struggle to turn a profit after investing billions of dollars in broadcasting. The actors are also concerned about how the parallels will be used with the advent of artificial intelligence.
Union members allowed the strike in early June, with 97.9 percent of members voting yes. Then on June 24, Fran Drescher, SAG-AFTRA President, and Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s national executive, told union members that they “remain optimistic” about the talks. They added that negotiations with the Motion Picture and Television Producers Alliance, the trade association that negotiates for studios, have been “extremely productive”.
video He prompted a group of more than 1,000 representatives, including Mrs. Drescher, to sign a letter urging the union leadership not to settle for a lesser deal. The message read: “We are ready to strike.”
On June 30, the federation announced that it had extended his contract until Wednesday while the two sides continued talking.
What’s next: Can the deal survive?
After the two sides negotiated all weekend, it remained unclear whether they were any closer to a resolution. If they fail to reach an agreement by midnight PT on Wednesday, some 160,000 SAG-AFTRA members will be willing to join the 11,000 clerks already on the picket line.