SAG-AFTRA Says Studios Didn’t ‘Meaningfully Engage’ on ‘Critical Issues,’ Studios Call Guild ‘Disingenuous’
When talks between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers broke down last week, leading to Hollywood’s first double strike since 1960, the guild says there was still a wide gulf between what it wanted and what studios were willing to give.
In a memo sent to members on Monday night, the authenticity of which has been confirmed by TheWrap, SAG-AFTRA leaders said that things got to the point of a strike because AMPTP negotiators, “from day one,” would not “meaningfully engage on the most critical issues.”
According to SAG-AFTRA, AMPTP negotiators “intentionally dragged their feet” and “subjected us to repeated stonewalling and delays” during talks.
In a statement released shortly after the SAG-AFTRA memo became public, APMTP called the guild “disingenuous at best,” and said it “continues to mischaracterize the negotiations.”
AMPTP also implied in its statement that the offers described in the SAG-AFTRA memo were outdated, claiming it made “proposals offered verbally” to the guild on the final day of negotiations before the strike.
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You can read the full SAG-AFTRA memo here, and read AMPTP’s response here.
“We moved on some things,” the SAG-AFTRA memo said, “but from day one they wouldn’t meaningfully engage on the most critical issues.”
Along with a summary, the memo included a comprehensive breakdown of guild proposals and the counteroffers made by AMPTP. Among the disagreements between the two sides, according to SAG-AFTRA:
A requested 11% general wage increase in the first year, and 4% in the second and third years to deal with inflation was countered with 5% in the first year, 4% in the second and 3.2% in the third, the guild says.
A proposed a revenue-sharing scheme on streaming services to offset residuals losses was flatly rejected by AMPTP.
A proposal to make terms for background actors the same everywhere was rejected by AMPTP.
A proposal to compensate background actors who also do stand-in work on the same day for both jobs, instead of paying them for one, was rejected.
AMPTP agreed to provide hair and makeup specialists trained for diverse hair types and skin tones, but only for principle performers.
And of course, the memo mentions the previously discussed proposal by AMPTP that studios be allowed to use AI to scan background actors and retain ownership and the right to use their likenesses in perpetuity, while paying them only once.
“SAG-AFTRA continues to mischaracterize the negotiations with AMPTP,” AMPTP said in its own statement. “Not only does its press release deliberately distort the offers made by AMPTP, it also fails to include the proposals offered verbally to SAG-AFTRA leadership on July 12.”
AMPTP said it offered “$1 billion in wage increases, pension & health contributions and residual increases and includes first-of-their-kind protections over its three-year term, including expressly with respect to AI,” though it did not refute SAG-AFTRA’s description of AI-related proposals in specific terms.
AMPTP’s statement also included, as a rebuttal of SAG-AFTRA complaints about the studios’ new proposed deal, quotes made by guild leaders in 2020 about the now-expired previous deal. “The AMPTP’s goal from day one has been to come to a mutually beneficial agreement with SAG-AFTRA. A strike is not the outcome we wanted. For SAG-AFTRA to assert that we have not been responsive to the needs of its membership is disingenuous at best,” AMPTP added.
AMPTP’s statement didn’t include a detailed breakdown of proposals like SAG-AFTRA’s memo, but it did summarize them in brief bullet points, largely identical to bullet points released on the first day of the strike last week.
Jeremy Fuster contributed to this report.
