SAG-AFTRA Agrees to Federal Mediation as Contract Deadline Looms

SAG-AFTRA agreed to bring in a federal mediation agency in its tense negotiations with major Hollywood studios, but declined to extend negotiations beyond Wednesday night, when the current contract expires.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the union said it had agreed to a “last-minute request for federal mediation” from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The union has already extended contract negotiations once from its previous July 1 deadline.

“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,” SAG-AFTRA stated.

On Monday, SAG-AFTRA leaders briefed top publicity firms on how their talent can help the union if a strike were to take place this week.

“SAG-AFTRA’s National Board has the option to call a strike if the AMPTP won’t agree on a deal that bolsters performer’s careers and ensures their profession remains one that can support a dignified livelihood,” leadership wrote to the PR agencies.

Last month, 98 percent of guild members voted in favor of a strike if contract talks stall.

The third party effort from SAG-AFTRA arrives as the WGA Strike, which began May 2, wages on. An actors strike would be the first union strike since 2000, marking the first time both the actors and the writers were simultaneously on strike since 1960.

SAG-AFTRA and WGA members are fighting for the same issues: increased residual payments, higher salaries, and the regulation of artificial intelligence in filmmaking.

Last night, Deadline reported that regardless of how the SAG-AFTRA strike plays out the studios don’t intend to negotiate further with the WGA, which has been striking for more than 70 days. Sources told the outlet that the studios plan to push writers to the brink of poverty all the way into the fall.

A studio executive told Deadline, “The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses.” Another source added that the plan is “a cruel but necessary evil.”

According to Deadline, which relies on “For Your Consideration” ad dollars paid by the studios, it has always been the intention to freeze the writers out. “It’s been agreed to for months, even before the WGA went out,” an executive told the outlet. “Nobody wanted a strike, but everybody knew this was make or break.”

This article was updated on July 12 at 2:50 a.m. to include the Deadline report.