Web Desk, July 6, 2023: As negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP continue, actors are preparing for potential picketing in the event that talks reach a stalemate by midnight on July 12, leading to a double strike alongside the Writers Guild.
The current film and TV contract has been extended to allow for ongoing negotiations, with talks occurring over the weekend and on Monday.
According to Deadline, actors are actively working on picket signs, ordering T-shirts, and organizing a list of lot captains and coordinators.
Although SAG-AFTRA has not officially engaged with the WGA regarding plans and logistics, individual WGA members have offered their assistance to SAG-AFTRA captains and coordinators if the need arises.
It is anticipated that SAG-AFTRA will join the WGA at established studio picket sites, which would require the writers to add an additional staff member at each location.
If SAG-AFTRA members, who voted with a 98% majority to authorize a strike if an acceptable deal cannot be reached, decide to strike, they are expected to commence picketing on the morning of Thursday, July 13.
While a strike involving both the Writers Guild and the Screen Actors Guild (excluding AFTRA, which merged with SAG in 2012) is uncommon, it has happened before. In 1960, during a five-month strike by the WGA, SAG President Ronald Reagan called for a strike by the actors guild.
A source from the WGA expressed confidence in achieving a favorable deal, stating, “The writers have gone it alone on 7 out of 8 strikes and won each of them. We’ll get the deal we need this time as well, but we would welcome them on the line. The actors joining us would be as historic as in 1960 when concurrent strikes gave us health care and our pension.”
There are concerns among some members of the actors guild that the leadership may settle for a deal that falls short of expectations, as indicated by a letter signed by notable actors such as Meryl Streep, Amy Schumer, and Charlize Theron.
The WGA member added that they hope SAG-AFTRA’s leadership will be aware of the current circumstances, stating, “The last thing any union in the country wants to be now are the DGA.”