Just as talks between major studios and SAG-AFTRA seemed to be going well, they came to an abrupt halt, ending hope of resolving the ongoing actors strike anytime soon.
Industry professionals were hoping that the recently ratified contract between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) would spur a similar agreement with the actors as both were on strike at the same time. But now talks are halted, and the work stoppage will continue.
“After meaningful conversations, it is clear that the gap between the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA is too great, and conversations are no longer moving us in a productive direction,” the group said in a statement, per Deadline. This led to those conversations being “suspended” for now, the outlet noted.
The main point of contention seems to be actors receiving compensation for streaming shows. The negotiating team for major studios estimated that the proposed resolution would cost them $2.4 billion for the length of the three-year contract, or $800 million per year.
“We hope that SAG-AFTRA will reconsider and return to productive negotiations soon,” the AMPTP statement said.
The statement also laid out some of the specific items offered in its proposed contract, which the organization said was similar to that which was ratified recently by WGA. These items included “the highest percentage increase in minimums in 35 years, which would generate an additional $717 million in wages and $177 million in contributions to the Pension and Health Plans during the contract term” and “a 58% increase in salaries for major role (guest star) performers wages on High Budget SVOD Programs.”
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There would also be wage increases for other employment categories, including singers, dancers, stunt people, and other industry workers. The proposed contract also included artificial intelligence protections, another major concern that led to the strike in the first place.
“On common issues, such as general wage increases, High-Budget SVOD residuals, and viewership bonuses, the AMPTP offered the same terms that were ratified by the DGA and WGA. Yet SAG-AFTRA rejected these,” the AMPTP statement said.
“We hope that SAG-AFTRA will reconsider and return to productive negotiations soon.”
Meanwhile, the actors union had a different take on how the talks broke down. “We have negotiated with them in good faith, despite the fact that last week they presented an offer that was, shockingly, worth less than they proposed before the strike began,” the SAG-AFTRA shared as part of a series of tweets on Thursday.
“We have made big, meaningful counters on our end, including completely transforming our revenue share proposal, which would cost the companies less than 57¢ per subscriber each year. They have rejected our proposals and refused to counter,” the statement continued. “Instead they use bully tactics. Just tonight, they intentionally misrepresented to the press the cost of the above proposal – overstating it by 60%.”
