More than 160,000 Hollywood actors are poised to go on strike if a deal is not reached between their union and film and television studios by tonight’s midnight deadline.
On Tuesday, the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) agreed to a “last minute” request to work with a federal mediator on the negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which includes both traditional film and television companies such as Universal and Disney and streaming services such as Amazon, Apple, and Netflix.
But the union affirmed that it is dedicated to securing a deal by the expiry of the extended contract at 11.59pm Pacific Time on Wednesday.
“We will not be distracted from negotiating in good faith to secure a fair and just deal by the expiration of our agreement,” SAG-AFTRA said in a statement.
“We are committed to the negotiating process and will explore and exhaust every possible opportunity to make a deal, however we are not confident that the employers have any intention of bargaining toward an agreement.”
If a deal is not reached, both actors and writers will be on strike at the same time, as Hollywood writers commenced strike action more than two months ago. Should the actors join them, this will put a halt to American film and television production.
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