SAG-AFTRA negotiations are extended as contract deadline passes
SAG-AFTRA has extended negotiations for a new three-year contract as Friday’s deadline passed without an agreement with the major Hollywood studios.
The actors union has been in talks since May 31 with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the bargaining organization that represents studios, broadcast networks and major cable networks.
In a statement released late Friday, the two sides said that they “will continue to bargain” and that the current contract has been “extended on a day-to-day basis.”
SAG-AFTRA said this week that it was planning to seek a strike authorization from its members after the two sides “failed to make sufficient progress on our most critical issues.”
It remains unclear if the union has sent the referendum to members. A strike authorization is a common tactic used by unions to gain leverage in a negotiation, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that a strike will happen.
SAG-AFTRA ratified its last contract in 2014. The three-year deal included wage hikes as well as a small increase to the union’s health and pension plans.
Both the Writers Guild of America and the Directors Guild of America ratified new three-year contracts this year.
SAG-AFTRA has about 160,000 members, including actors, announcers and broadcast journalists. The union is several months into a strike against several prominent video game companies over issues including compensation and workplace safety for motion-capture and voice performers.
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