The Hollywood Actors Guild, also known as the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), has voted to authorize a strike amid the ongoing writers strike. The vote was announced on October 21, 2021, after a virtual meeting of the guild’s national board of directors.
The decision to authorize a strike comes after months of negotiations between SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed to produce a new contract agreement. The current contract between SAG and AMPTP expired on June 30, 2021, and negotiations for a new contract began in May.
SAG represents over 160,000 actors, stunt performers, and voiceover artists in the entertainment industry. The union’s members include some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, and Brad Pitt.
The main issues at stake in the negotiations between SAG and AMPTP are compensation for streaming services and residuals for actors. Streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ have become increasingly popular in recent years, but SAG argues that actors are not being fairly compensated for their work on these platforms.
Residuals are payments made to actors for the reuse of their work in films and television shows. SAG is seeking to increase residuals for actors, arguing that they are not being adequately compensated for the continued use of their work.
The writers strike, which began on October 18, 2021, has added further pressure to the negotiations between SAG and AMPTP. The writers strike is being led by the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which represents over 12,000 writers in the entertainment industry.
The WGA is also seeking better compensation for streaming services and residuals for writers. The writers strike has already caused production delays for several television shows, including HBO’s “Succession” and Netflix’s “Stranger Things.”
If SAG does decide to go on strike, it could have a significant impact on the entertainment industry. A strike by SAG members would halt production on many television shows and films, potentially causing millions of dollars in losses for studios and networks.
However, a strike by SAG members is not inevitable. The vote to authorize a strike does not mean that SAG will immediately go on strike. It simply gives the union’s leadership the authority to call for a strike if they feel it is necessary.
Negotiations between SAG and AMPTP are ongoing, and both sides have expressed a desire to reach a new contract agreement. However, if negotiations continue to stall, a strike by SAG members could become a reality, further disrupting an already tumultuous time in the entertainment industry.
