Dear Member,
On June 7, SAG-AFTRA will enter into negotiations with the trade association representing major studios, streamers and production companies — the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
Our goal in this negotiation is to ensure our members working in film, television and streaming/new media can continue to earn a professional living with a contract that honors our contributions.
We need a contract that will increase contributions to our benefit plans and protect members from erosion of income due to inflation and reduced residuals, unregulated use of generative AI, and demanding self-taped auditions.
Your negotiating committee, National Board and leadership are 100% in support of entering negotiations with a strike authorization in hand.
Why? Because they appreciate that timing is EVERYTHING! We simply can’t wait to start scrambling on the backend of this contract to obtain a strike authorization.
It’s important to understand that voting yes to give the negotiators a strike authorization is not voting to call a strike. Voting yes on a strike authorization means that you, as the member, give the National Board the power to call a strike if the AMPTP does not agree to essential contract improvements.
A strike is never a first option, but a last resort. Yet, it’s better to have and not need than to need and not have.
The business model of our industry has changed significantly. We have fully entered a digital and streaming entertainment industry, and that demands a contract that is relevant to the new business model and must be contemporary to meet the financial needs of our members today.
Our members are governed by contracts that reflect the business of 30 years ago. And too much has changed since then for those contracts to serve us well. The rise of streaming, artificial intelligence (AI), and the impacts of other technology advances on entertainment, coupled with a steep increase in the cost of living — all while studio profits and executive pay rise meteorically — means that we need to seek new and imaginative ways to move forward. And believe us when we say, we have!
If ever there was a time to take action and demand seminal change it is NOW!
SAG-AFTRA is entering into these negotiations in good faith and demanding a fair deal for our members from the AMPTP. We hope and expect they will respond in good faith. While the union’s leadership, National Board and negotiating committee members regard a strike as a last resort, we believe we must be ready for any eventuality, and have all of the leverage possible in order to secure the best deal.
We need you to vote yes to authorize a strike if push comes to shove.
If we don’t stand our ground now and show them we mean business, we will always be chasing something just out of our grasp.
Do not let that happen!
Please know that this request is not one we take lightly, and if you vote to authorize a strike, SAG-AFTRA cannot enter a work stoppage before our contract expires on June 30, 2023.
We implore you to vote YES and give your negotiators the tools they need to get the best deal for you that they possibly can.
Postcards will be sent to eligible members on Thursday, May 18, with instructions on how to vote, and voting will close at 5 p.m. PT on Monday, June 5.
More information is available at sagaftra.org/contracts2023.
We are one in solidarity against a very strong opposition; let’s show’em what we’re made of!
Fran Drescher
President and Chair, TV/Theatrical Contract Negotiating Committee
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland
National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator