The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and Hollywood studios have failed to reach a new labor agreement, which has led to the second major entertainment strike of the year and brought Hollywood to essentially a complete shutdown.  

SAG-AFTRA had just commemorated the 90th anniversary of the Screen Actors Guild’s incorporation on July 12. The SAG-AFTRA national board met on Thursday with its president, Fran Drescher, after four weeks of negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed to reach an agreement on fair terms. They collectively decided to reject the AMPTP’s latest offer and to strike. 

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator of SAG-AFTRA, talked about the union’s board of directors’ unanimous vote to issue a strike authorization against the studios and streamers.

“From the time negotiations began on the seventh of June, SAG-AFTRA’s staff, and the members of our negotiating committee have worked overtime, devoting their evenings, weekends, and holidays to achieving a deal that will ensure a sustainable future for the acting profession,” Crabtree-Ireland said. 

At a hastily called press conference Thursday, Crabtree-Ireland mentioned that despite their continued efforts, AMPTP has remained steadfast in its commitment to devaluing the work of SAG-AFTRA’s members. “Actors deserve a contract that reflects the changes that have taken place in the industry,” he said.  

“To make matters worse, actors now face an existential threat to their livelihoods with the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology. We proposed contract changes to address these issues, but the AMPTP has been uninterested in our proposals. As a result, the board has decided that union members should withhold their labor until a fair contract can be reached,” Crabtree-Ireland said. 

During the press conference, Drescher talked about the problems experienced by actors, saying it is a ‘seminal hour’ for actors in the entertainment industry. 

“It came with great sadness that we came to this crossroads, but we had no choice. We are the victims here. We are being victimized by a very greedy entity. I am shocked by the people we have been in business with,” she said. 

Drescher emphasized that Hollywood studios are standing on the wrong side of history at this very moment. 

“At some point, the jig is up. You cannot keep being dwindled,  marginalized, disrespected, and dishonored. The entire business module has been changed by streaming, digital, and AI. This is a moment of history that is a moment of truth. If we don’t stand tall right now, we are all going to be in trouble,” she stated passionately.  

In Drescher’s speech, she also expressed her concerns while talking about the replacement of labor with machinery, AI, and big businesses in specific. 

“Most Americans do not have more than $500 in an emergency. This is a very big deal and it weighed heavy on us. But, at some point, you have to say no. Privately they all say that we are the center of the wheel. Everybody else tinkers around our artistry, but actions speak louder than words, and there was nothing there, it was insulting,” Drescher indignantly said. 

According to Drescher and Crabtree-Ireland, they received the largest strike authorization vote in their union’s history. 

“We are fortunate enough to be in a country that happens to be labor-friendly, and yet we are facing opposition that is so labor unfriendly and so tone-deaf to what we are saying. You cannot change the business model as much as it has already changed, and not expect the contract to change too. We are not going to keep doing incremental changes on a contract that no longer honors what is happening right now with this business model that was wasted upon us,” Drescher said. 

Drescher ended her speech by stating “You share the wealth because you cannot exist without us.”