SAG-AFTRA Talks End for the Day as Negotiators Keep Working on a Deal

SAG-AFTRA negotiations have ended for the day, as the studios and the union plan to keep working on a deal to end the 107-day strike.

It’s not clear yet when the next bargaining session will be, as negotiators are still working out the schedule. The union delivered its latest response on Saturday, and is awaiting word back from the studios.

Carol Lombardini, the CEO of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, represented the studios in the Saturday session, as the four studio CEOs who have participated previously were not in attendance.

The AMPTP has met on four of the last five days with union leadership, as both sides feel pressure to get a resolution.

There has been some optimism about progress at certain points over the last few days, but there has also been a fair amount of frustration.

The union sent out a routine reminder on Saturday morning to its members about upcoming picketing. The schedule includes a “unity picket” at Disney on Wednesday, Nov. 1. That would be the 111th day of the strike, and picketing at all other studio locations is canceled that day.

The union is also planning a Halloween-themed “Solidarity Screamfest” on Tuesday. Notably, the union has warned members against dressing up as characters from studio-backed projects, as that could be interpreted as promoting “struck work.”

SAG-AFTRA is seeking a significant across-the-board raise to keep pace with inflation, as well as a new system for paying actors in streaming shows. The union also wants first-of-its-kind protections against the use of artificial intelligence to create “digital doubles.”

The major studios have warned that without a deal in the next few days, the current scripted TV season may have to be scrapped. In the last week, multiple films have been postponed, including “Snow White” and the next “Mission: Impossible” installment. The studios fear that more will follow unless a deal is reached soon.

More than 4,600 SAG-AFTRA members signed on to an open letter this week expressing support for union leadership. The letter stated that the members would rather remain on strike than “cave” to a bad deal.