SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP Make Progress in Talks, Will Meet Again Thursday

Cynthia Littleton

UPDATED with SAG-AFTRA statement: SAG-AFTRA and Hollywood’s major studios had a second consecutive day of constructive steps toward a settlement to what will go down as a TV and film strike of record duration for the union.

SAG-AFTRA told its members late Wednesday that the union presented a counterproposal on AI issues that have been a key sticking point in the contract talks that preceded the work stoppage that began July 14. It also said the union is awaiting the full response from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on the “comprehensive counter proposal” the union presented on Oct. 28.

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“The Negotiating Committee met today to discuss and finalize our response to the AMPTP AI counter-proposal which we received yesterday,” SAG-AFTRA’s negotiating committee wrote in its message to members. “The negotiators then met with AMPTP representatives for more than three hours this afternoon and evening to present and review our revised proposal. We continue to await the AMPTP’s response to our comprehensive counter proposal package which we gave them on Saturday, addressing outstanding issues.”

It’s understood that the sides made progress in closing some of the gap on key issues. Rumors that a deal was coming together as soon as this evening spread widely on Wednesday but were quieted by a reality check from those in the room where it is happening at SAG-AFTRA’s Miracle Mile headquarters. Sources close to the situation were wary of guessing on a timetable but all indications are that the path to a tentative agreement will be measured in days, not weeks.

SAG-AFTRA’s work stoppage hit Day 111 on Wednesday. The guild went out after talks broke down on July 12. SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher has emerged as a voice of a resurgent American labor movement in a year when labor activism hit a modern-era peak across the U.S. economy, from automotive workers to UPS drivers to medical workers and much more. Drescher has been a driving force in the negotiating room, along with Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s executive director and chief negotiator.

The finish line appears to be in sight after more than three months of sacrifice from the thespian ranks. But the union’s negotiating committee made a point of plugging the importance of SAG-AFTRA members maintaining a presence on picket lines in Los Angeles and New York.

“Please know that your presence on the picket lines and support on social media remain a source of inspiration,” the note to members said.

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