SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP resume negotiations after writers’ strike ends

Getty Images

Lead negotiators for SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers will return to the table on Monday, October 2, after a bitter simultaneous strike led by the Writers Guild of America was resolved on Tuesday.

“SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP will resume negotiations on a new television/theatrical contract on Monday, October 2. Several executives from AMPTP member companies will be in attendance,” SAG-AFTRA said in a statement.

Duncan Crabtree Ireland and union president Fran Drescher are expected to meet with producers with renewed enthusiasm from SAG-AFTRA negotiations, as the creative community and countless crossover acts breathed a sigh of relief after the WGA’s 146-day war with studios and streamers ended. On September 26th. Back channels between Crabtree Ireland and the four prominent media CEOs who helped broker the WGA deal — Disney’s Bob Iger, NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley and Warner Bros.’ David Zaslav — were announced. and Netflix’s Ted Sarandos — once the writers reached a tentative agreement, sources said.

AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA have not resumed negotiating in good faith since the union, made up of about 160,000 members, went on strike on July 14. The collateral damage has been significant, in some cases to worldwide box office, and certainly to revenue. Autumn Film Festival session. With star talent banned from promoting works produced by a “damaged” company, the red carpets of Venice, Telluride and Toronto have become ghost towns.

A lucky few film and television projects receive a temporary SAG-AFTRA agreement, which allows productions to continue showing or allows stars to participate in syndication. These include Michael Mann’s “Ferrari,” Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” and the holiday movie “The Iron Claw,” starring Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White.

While Crabtree Ireland and Drescher were adamant that they wanted to return to the negotiating table, the union was also preoccupied with other strike matters. On Monday, the union voted overwhelmingly to suspend work at 10 major video game companies.

“After five rounds of bargaining, it has become abundantly clear that video game companies are not prepared to engage meaningfully on the crucial issues: compensation undermined by inflation, unregulated use of artificial intelligence and safety,” Crabtree Ireland said of the new battle.