Los Angeles (USA) (BLAZETRENDS) and Television (AMPTP) ended without success.
“SAG-AFTRA negotiated in good faith and was anxious to reach an agreement, (…) but the responses of the AMPTP to the most important proposals of the union have been insulting,” said the president of the union, Fran Drescher, through of a statement published on the official website of the institution.
Strike could bring Hollywood to a standstill
The union, which represents more than 160,000 actors, announced that in the morning the union’s national board will hold a meeting to formally approve the start of a strike that could bring the Hollywood industry to a complete standstill.
The last time actors went on strike against studios was in 1980 over the benefits of home videotape and pay-TV, and it lasted for three months.
If a strike is triggered, the actors would join the pickets that the Writers Guild (WGA) began outside the studio offices on May 2, undertaking a simultaneous strike for the first time in 63 years.
The only time both unions were on a work stoppage at the same time was in 1960, and from that fight they obtained benefits such as access to health insurance and a pension.
But it was the 100-day strike led by the writers in 2007-2008 that laid the foundations for the current conflict by focusing most of the discussions on paying for content distributed over the Internet.
Improvement of working conditions
Now, the requests of both share similarities on issues such as the improvement of working conditions, the fair payment of residual rights by the platforms for “streaming” and transparency in the process of calculating these amounts, as well as the regulation the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
“The AMPTP has refused to acknowledge that the enormous changes in the industry and the economy have had a detrimental impact on those who work for the studios,” the president deepened.
Union leaders held talks with the alliance, which negotiates on behalf of studios and large chains such as Amazon, Apple, Disney and Netflix, since June 7.
Just one day before the deadline, SAG-AFTRA had announced that it was accepting a meeting proposed by Hollywood studios and streaming platforms together with federal mediators.
However, they showed the distance between both parties by stressing that they would go on strike if an agreement was not reached before Wednesday at 23:59 Los Angeles time (7:59 GMT on Thursday).
The urgent request sought to use neutral agents to help unblock the negotiations, but the union accused the AMPTP of having “abused” its trust by leaking to the press the proposal to include federal mediators before they were aware of it. the same.
The start of a strike by the actors looms a crisis in major entertainment. Without performers, film and television productions that have been able to stay afloat despite the writers’ strike could be forced to halt their activities.
The actors could not promote films and series pending release, nor participate in meetings with followers, and the situation could lead to a wave of cancellations of press conferences, red carpets and even the postponement of award ceremonies such as the Emmy or the Comic -On San Diego.