More than two years after back-to-back strikes nearly shut Hollywood down, unions representing actors and writers are gearing up for a new round of bargaining.
SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, is up first. Bargaining sessions with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) started Monday and are expected to take place over the next several weeks. The union’s current contract expires June 30.
“By taking the time to thoughtfully engage on the challenges confronting our industry, we are optimistic that, together, we can reach a fair deal that reflects our shared commitment to supporting our industry’s talented performers and promoting long-term stability,” an AMPTP spokesperson said in a statement.
The entertainment industry, which is still recovering from the effects of the previous strike, is much different from the last time negotiations took place. Productions continue to move overseas, shoot days in L.A. are on a downward trend and less work is available for writers, actors and directors alike as the major studios make fewer movies and TV shows than in years past.
During negotiations, the performers union, which represents roughly 160,000 members, is expected to focus on the issues of AI, streaming residuals and funding for health/pension plans.
Many of these topics surfaced in the last bargaining season in 2023, but have gained more currency with the rise of AI and the power of streaming platforms.
Last fall, the first AI actor, Tilly Norwood, was introduced to Hollywood. Though the bot has yet to star in a major project, the fear of AI-generated characters taking an actor’s job is real among many union members.
The union could propose what has been called the Tilly tax, a fee that studios would have to pay to the union in exchange for using an AI actor. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s chief negotiator, broached the subject at last month’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) .
“In my opinion, if synthetics cost the same as a human, they’re going to choose a human every time,” Crabtree-Ireland said.
The film and TV studios are also expected to ask to extend contracts to five years, instead of the standard three years. Director Christopher Nolan, the Directors Guild’s new president, has already spoken out against the idea.
“If we had agreed to a five-year contract in March of 2020, where would we be now? We are living in an industry where things are shifting very, very fast in terms of how they choose to run their businesses,” Nolan recently told Deadline.
Both sides of the bargaining table will also look different, as the parties are led by new presidents, Sean Astin of SAG-AFTRA and Greg Hessinger at AMPTP. Astin, of “Lord of the Rings” fame, was elected in September as Fran Drescher’s successor. Hessinger, a former SAG national director, assumed his position last April.
Though the negotiations are not expected to be as disruptive as last time, Crabtree-Ireland has not ruled out a possible strike.
“I want to be crystal clear: We are not going to accept a deal that is not fair to our members,” said Crabtree-Ireland onstage at CES. “There is no reason there should need to be a strike because these companies should come to the table in good faith, as we are.”
Previously, SAG-AFTRA was on strike for 118 days, while the Writers Guild strike lasted 148 days, making for the second-longest strike in the union’s history.
Following SAG-AFTRA, the Writers Guild will begin its negotiations in March and the Directors Guild bargaining kicks off later this spring.
In a release, SAG-AFTRA declined to comment on the negotiations, citing a media blackout.
