As ‘ enters its ninth week on strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), it looks like actors a part of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) Foundation—the labor union comprised over 160,000 actors, artists, influencers, journalists and more—just might be joining them soon.
In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks, the contract in place between the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA is set to expire on July 12 after being extended from its original expiration date on June 30. If no new deal is reached, then more SAG-AFTRA folks could be joining the picket lines alongside their friends at the WGA. (To be fair though, some SAG members have been marching in solidarity with the writers already.)
So what’s at stake and how will this shape Hollywood going into the fall TV/film, awards season? Let’s break it down:
What is SAG-AFTRA Fighting For?
While specific demands of SAG-AFTRA aren’t widely known, one thing they’re seeking from the AMPTP is higher streaming residuals based on viewership. According to Variety, they’ve proposed a “bonus on top of the standard residual for the most-watched shows” but the AMPTP has not agreed to that citing the vast majority of ways to interpret and measure “views.”
As it stands, streaming residual payments for the WGA, SAG-AFTRA, and the Director’s Guild of America (DGA) are based on a pre-determined compensation formula that lowers with each passing year as the TV show or movie ages. Another agreement that SAG-AFTRA is asking for is “robust protection” for artificial intelligence and “provisions regulating AI training.”
On June 5, SAG-AFTRA members voted to authorize a strike if no good deal was reached. Over 1,000 actors also signed a letter voicing their support for a strike.
“Solidarity demands honesty, and we need to make clear our resolve. A strike brings incredible hardships to so many, and no one wants it. But we are prepared to strike if it comes to that,” the letter said in part according to Deadline. “And we are concerned by the idea that SAG-AFTRA members may be ready to make sacrifices that leadership is not. We hope you’ve heard the message from us. This is an unprecedented inflection point in our industry, and what might be considered a good deal in any other years is simply not enough.”
It added:
“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.”
What Will Happen If Actors Go On Strike?
According to a call held on Monday between SAG-AFTRA and nearly 150 Hollywood PR agencies and reps, should a strike be called this means actors:
- Cannot participate in any more TV/film productions in the U.S. and globally
- Cannot participate in any promotional events like press junkets, premieres, and fan events (like the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con)
- Cannot post anything promoting their work on social media
Disclaimers will also have to be made by respective actor’s publicists on any junket press that was held before the strike deadline, according to TheWrap. Consequently, for Entertainment writers and journos like myself and others, this will reshape coverage plans for upcoming series, features, and events.
How Will This Affect Fall TV/Film and Awards Season?
As of now, production on a lot of shows that would have had their premieres in the fall have already come to a halt due to the WGA strike. As previously reported by The Root, popular shows like Abbott Elementary, P-Valley, Andor, Stranger Things, Severance and more all hang in the balance until a fair deal is made between the writers and the AMPTP. Late-night talk shows were the first to feel the effects of the writer’s strike back in May.
As for awards season, the biggest one looming is the 75th annual Primetime Emmys, which is set to air in September. However, in a hilarious twist of fate that not even the best of writers could’ve came up with, the decision on whether or not SAG-AFTRA will strike and this year’s Emmy nominees are expected to be announced on the same day, a.k.a. July 12.
The Root has reached out the SAG-AFTRA Foundation for comment but we’ve yet to hear back.