Screen Actors Guild of the USA (SAG-AFTRA) chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland called on Hollywood studio executives to step in to reach an agreement to implement a new collective bargaining agreement.
“I really believe that the CEOs (of the studios) have to be on board in order for these agreements to come about and for the necessary change to really happen so that these contracts are fair to our members,” the negotiator said in an interview with the Variety of specialist media on Tuesday.
Interpreters have been on strike since July 14 and have not officially returned to the negotiating table with the Alliance of Film and Television Producers (AMPTP) to create a new collective bargaining agreement that will allow for Hollywood industry-standard work.
However, Crabtree-Ireland admitted the union had “indirect discussions” with the AMPTP thanks to industry experts acting as facilitators.
The chief negotiator also assured that it remained willing to return to the negotiating table with the AMPTP and made it clear that it was even willing to give in on some proposals in order to reach an agreement.
“The principle of revenue sharing in ‘streaming’ is paramount, and we’re open to negotiating the exact mechanics of how to achieve that.” So I hope that message got across and that it resonates with them,” said Crabtree-Ireland during a SAG-AFTRA Solidarity Day rally.
The producers alliance, which represents studios like Netflix, Disney, and Amazon, recently resumed dialogue with the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which began a strike on May 2 for reasons similar to those of the actors, according to the trade publication According to the report, neither party has made any significant progress yet.
Crabtree-Ireland asserted that SAG-AFTRA and the WGA remain united and that they share the same positions on issues such as streaming rights balance payments and artificial intelligence regulation.
On Aug. 17, the Writers’ Union released a study calling for government support to regulate “streaming” given the “anti-competitive practices” of platforms like Disney, Amazon, and Netflix, and also claiming that those companies were abusive, harming creativity, and threatening the future of media.
