A deadline for Hollywood actors to reach a deal with studios and streaming services passed Thursday without word on whether a strike would be called, and their union's negotiating board then voted unanimously to recommend a walkout, the union said.þþThe Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists had set a deadline of 11:59 p.m. PDT Wednesday, when their contracts expired, for a deal to be reached.þþBut the time came and went without an agreement and SAG said its negotiating committee then opted to recommend that the SAG-AFTRA national board call a strike. The board is slated to vote on that Thursday morning, the union said.þþIf the actors strike, they would formally join screenwriters on picket lines outside studios and filming locations in a bid to get better terms from studios and streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon. It would be the first time since 1960 that the two guilds were on strike at the same time.þþMembers of the Writers Guild of America have been on strike since early May, slowing production on film and television series on both coasts and in productions centers like Atlanta.þþIssues in negotiations include the unregulated use of artificial intelligence and effects on residual pay brought on by the streaming ecosystem that has emerged in recent years.þþActors, including SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher, have joined writers on picket lines for weeks in solidarity. An actors strike would prevent performers from working on sets or promoting their projects.þþImpact of streaming and AIþIn a message to union members after the pacts ran out, Dresher said, ÿOver the past decade, your compensation has been severely eroded by the rise of the streaming ecosystem. Furthermore, artificial intelligence poses an existential threat to creative professions, and all actors and performers deserve contract language that protects them from having their identity and talent exploited without consent and pay.ÿþþThe studios' Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers issued a statement saying, ÿWe are deeply disappointed that SAG-AFTRA has decided to walk away from negotiations. This is the union's choice, not ours. In doing so, it has dismissed our offer of historic pay and residual increases, substantially higher caps on pension and health contributions, audition protections, shortened series option periods, a groundbreaking AI proposal that protects actors' digital likenesses, and more.ÿ
Source: cbsnews.com
