Hollywood is bracing for yet another strike as actors prepare to join writers on the picket lines, a move that could have serious economic consequences in production-heavy Los Angeles, as well as other cities in the United States and abroad.
The 160,000 members of SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents performers, say they are ready to walk off the job to demand better pay and job protections from major studios.
“All signs point to a strike,” said Jeremy Fuster, the labor and box officer reporter for the entertainment news outlet, The Wrap.
Fuster added that having both the writer and actors striking at the same time could have a devastating impact on the film and television business.
“There is a huge economy in Los Angeles and other major production hubs, such as Atlanta, New York, London, Toronto and so many others that would lose billions of dollars, not to mention the livelihoods of thousands and thousands of below-the-line workers,” he explained.
Earlier Tuesday, SAG-AFTRA announced it had agreed to a last-minute request for federal mediation by the Alliance of Film and Television Producers, the trade union representing studios, but would not waver from striking at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, joining WGA writers who have been on the picket lines for more than two months.
“We are prepared,” says actor Bennie Arthur. “We’ve been here supporting our brothers and sisters from WGA from the beginning.”
Major sticking points include better streaming pay for residuals and the use of artificial intelligence.
“Both WGA and SAG-AFTRA want residuals to be tied to viewership data, which is something that all of the studios, but especially Netflix, have kept very tightly under wraps,” Fuster said. “So, they want this to be divulged, but the studios are not budging anywhere on this.”
When it comes to AI, SAG-AFRTA says it wants guardrails in place for performers to prevent them from being exploited by the rapidly-evolving technology.
“AI is going to be a big part of acting going forward,” Fuster explained. “A performer could have their likeness or their voice or video of their performance replicated by AI without their knowledge or consent.”
While there was some controversy over the weekend when SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher was photographed with Kim Kardashian at a Dolce & Gabbana fashion show in Italy, representatives for Drescher said that union negotiators were well aware she would be at the event and that she is now back in L.A. at the negotiating table.
If SAG-AFTRA members decide to go on strike, it will be the first time both writers and actors have been striking at the same time since 1960, and industry experts predict a significant economic hit.