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Unions representing more than 160,000 film and television actors voted late Monday to legalize the strike, two days before starting negotiations on a new labor deal with Hollywood studios. The outcome of the SAG-AFTRA union, with 98 percent passing the strike, was expected, and it came during the sixth week of the Hollywood writers' strike and just a day after the Directors Guild of America tentatively agreed to a new contract. .
“Together we work together, and in unity we forge a new contract that honors our contributions to this amazing industry, reflects new digital and streaming business models and brings ALL of our concerns for protection and benefit to the present day!” Fran Drescher, president of the actors' union, said in a statement.
About 65,000 members cast ballots, or 48 percent of eligible voters. The actor's current agreement with the Film and Television Producers Alliance, which is bidding on behalf of the studio, ends on June 30.
Why It Matters: Actors share the same concerns as writers.
Many of the actors' concerns echo what the Writers Guild of America stood for: higher wages; increased residual payments for their work, particularly for content on streaming services; and protection against unauthorized use of actor likenesses as part of enhancing artificial intelligence capabilities. According to the authors, the studio offers little more than an “annual meeting to discuss” artificial intelligence, and they refuse to haggle over the boundaries of the technology.
The Directors Guild, by contrast, said Sunday that it had reached “a groundbreaking agreement that confirms that AI is not human and that generative AI cannot replace the tasks performed by members.” Details on what that means were not disclosed.
Background: It's been a while since the last actors strike.
The last time the actors went on strike was in 2000, over a commercial payment dispute. The strike lasted nearly six months.
What's Next: Negotiations began on Wednesday.
With negotiations expected to start on Wednesday, SAG-AFTRA is optimistic about what this strike authorization means. “We're obviously coming from a position of strength, but we don't want to attack,” said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union's chief negotiator. “We are here to make a deal.” He added: “But we also will not accept anything less than what our members deserve. If an attack is needed to achieve that, we are ready.”
The Film and Television Producers Alliance said in a statement that “we are approaching these negotiations with the aim of reaching a new agreement that is beneficial to SAG-AFTRA members and the industry as a whole.”