Two years after striking, SAG-AFTRA is reentering negotiations for a new contract

More than 2 years aft back-to-back strikes astir unopen Hollywood down, unions representing actors and writers are gearing up for a caller circular of bargaining.

SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, is up first. Bargaining sessions with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) started Monday and are expected to instrumentality spot implicit the adjacent respective weeks. The union’s existent declaration expires June 30.

“By taking the clip to thoughtfully prosecute connected the challenges confronting our industry, we are optimistic that, together, we tin scope a just woody that reflects our shared committedness to supporting our industry’s talented performers and promoting semipermanent stability,” an AMPTP spokesperson said successful a statement.

The amusement industry, which is inactive recovering from the effects of the erstwhile strike, is overmuch antithetic from the past clip negotiations took place. Productions proceed to determination overseas, sprout days successful L.A. are connected a downward inclination and little enactment is disposable for writers, actors and directors alike arsenic the large studios marque less movies and TV shows than successful years past.

During negotiations, the performers union, which represents astir 160,000 members, is expected to absorption connected the issues of AI, streaming residuals and backing for health/pension plans.

Many of these topics surfaced successful the past bargaining play successful 2023, but person gained much currency with the emergence of AI and the powerfulness of streaming platforms.

Last fall, the archetypal AI actor, Tilly Norwood, was introduced to Hollywood. Though the bot has yet to prima successful a large project, the fearfulness of AI-generated characters taking an actor’s occupation is existent among galore national members.

The national could suggest what has been called the Tilly tax, a interest that studios would person to wage to the national successful speech for utilizing an AI actor. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s main negotiator, broached the taxable astatine past month’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) .

“In my opinion, if synthetics outgo the aforesaid arsenic a human, they’re going to take a quality each time,” Crabtree-Ireland said.

The movie and TV studios are besides expected to inquire to widen contracts to 5 years, alternatively of the modular 3 years. Director Christopher Nolan, the Directors Guild’s caller president, has already spoken retired against the idea.

“If we had agreed to a five-year declaration successful March of 2020, wherever would we beryllium now? We are surviving successful an manufacture wherever things are shifting very, precise accelerated successful presumption of however they take to tally their businesses,” Nolan precocious told Deadline.

Both sides of the bargaining array volition besides look different, arsenic the parties are led by caller presidents, Sean Astin of SAG-AFTRA and Greg Hessinger astatine AMPTP. Astin, of “Lord of the Rings” fame, was elected successful September arsenic Fran Drescher’s successor. Hessinger, a erstwhile SAG nationalist director, assumed his presumption past April.

Though the negotiations are not expected to beryllium arsenic disruptive arsenic past time, Crabtree-Ireland has not ruled retired a imaginable strike.

“I privation to beryllium crystal clear: We are not going to judge a woody that is not just to our members,” said Crabtree-Ireland onstage astatine CES. “There is nary crushed determination should request to beryllium a onslaught due to the fact that these companies should travel to the array successful bully faith, arsenic we are.”

Previously, SAG-AFTRA was connected onslaught for 118 days, portion the Writers Guild onslaught lasted 148 days, making for the second-longest onslaught successful the union’s history.

Following SAG-AFTRA, the Writers Guild volition statesman its negotiations successful March and the Directors Guild bargaining kicks disconnected aboriginal this spring.

In a release, SAG-AFTRA declined to remark connected the negotiations, citing a media blackout.