After it was announced that the writers‘ union had reached an agreement and concluded the strike that they had been maintaining since May, it was also reported that the actors‘ union was in negotiations with the studios. It seems that the actors’ strike could come to an end, after 3 months of maintaining their protests. The SAG-AFTRA union announced that this day they held negotiations, which came to an end cordially between both parties, so tomorrow they will have a meeting again with the Hollywood studios, where the agreement is expected to be concluded—actors’ strike, which had been going on since last July. Let us remember that this strike was one of the longest that was held by Hollywood actors, where they demanded salary improvements, streaming rights on platforms, and the regulation of Artificial Intelligence.
Why had the actors’ strike been declared?
The Screen Actors Guild of the United States formally went on strike on Thursday, July 13, after failed negotiations with Hollywood studios for the signing of a new collective agreement. The union of performers in the American Union joined the strike that the Screenwriters Union had maintained since May, thus undertaking a simultaneous strike for the first time in 63 years that completely paralyzed the Hollywood industry. The decision, previously approved by 98% of the members of the Actors Guild, was officially made following the meeting of the union’s board of directors held on Thursday, July 13. With this, SAG-AFTRA urged its members to stop providing all their services in jobs covered by the previous agreement.
Among the actors’ requests are the increase in base remuneration, reduced by inflation and streaming, the regulation of image rights with respect to artificial intelligence, and coverage of the cost of self-recorded auditions. One of the points that is very similar to that of the writers’ struggle is the payment of residual rights and transparency on the part of the platforms regarding how these amounts are calculated and based on what audience data. So far, negotiations between the union and the Hollywood studios are on the right track, so it is expected that at tomorrow’s meeting, Wednesday, the talks will be concluded and the end of the strike will be officially announced by actors, after three months of being under protest.
This story was written in Spanish by Lizbeth García in Cultura Colectiva
