SAG-AFTRA orders strike to begin at midnight tonight
"The eyes of labor are upon us." SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher
At midnight Thursday (Friday morning for those on the East Coast), members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) will be going on strike, according to an afternoon press conference.
The actors’ union will join members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) who have been on strike for more than 73 days against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) — the entity that represents major studios and streamers, including Amazon, Apple, Disney, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, and Warner Bros Discovery.
“Though we’ve engaged in negotiations in good faith and remained eager to reach a deal that sufficiently addressed performer concerns, the AMPTP’s responses to our proposals have not been adequate,” stated Fran Drescher in a letter to members on Thursday.
On Twitter, the union posted its strike order to members, which stated (in part):
The National Board has declared a strike of all covered services under the Producer - SAG-AFTRA Codified Basic Agreement and SAG-AFTRA Television Agreements and their related agreements (“TV/Theatrical Contracts”) and instructs all SAG-AFTRA members to cease rendering all services and performing all work covered by the TV/Theatrical Contracts. The strike extends to productions covered by any of the following agreements, effective at 12:01 AM Pacific Time, July 14, 2023:
Producer-SAG-AFTRA Codified Basic Agreement
SAG-AFTRA Television Agreement (includes New Media)
SAG-AFTRA New Media Agreement for High Budget Original or Derivative Programs
Special New Media Agreements
Low Budget Theatrical Agreement (LBA)
Moderate Low Budget Project Agreement (MPA)
Ultra Low Budget Project Agreement (UPA)