NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 31: Rebecca Damon joins SAG-AFTRA members on strike during Halloween on October 31, 2023 in New York City. The strike, which began on July 14, entered its 100th day on October 21st as the actors’ union and Hollywood studios and streamers failed to reach an agreement. (Photo by John Nacion/Getty Images)
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SAG-AFTRA actors aren’t totally on board with Hollywood studios’ latest labor agreement pitch.
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists said there were still “several essential items” that they couldn’t agree with during their negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, including artificial intelligence guidelines.
Studios put forth this “last, best and final offer” over the weekend, with top executives making clear that they would not make further concessions. SAG-AFTRA spent time Sunday and Monday evaluating the deal.
It is unclear if the AMPTP will return to the table to continue bargaining or if talks will officially shutdown.
Representatives from the AMPTP did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Hollywood actors initiated a work stoppage in mid-July as initial negotiations broke down with studios including Disney, Paramount, Universal, Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery. They resumed talks for a short period of time in early October, but those broke down for several weeks.
Later in the month, talks resumed again, but so far, SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP have been unable to reach a deal.
Television and film performers were looking to improve wages, working conditions, and health and pension benefits, as well as establish guardrails for the use of AI in future television and film productions. Additionally, the union sought more transparency from streaming services about viewership so that residual payments can be made equitable to linear TV.
The 116 day strike has disrupted marketing campaigns and prevented production from commencing on a significant portion of Hollywood’s film and television projects.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC. NBCUniversal is a member of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
