SAG-AFTRA Officially Declares Actors Strike

etonline.com:

officially on strike.The SAG-AFTRA national board met Thursday to formally approve a strike after negotiations fell apart between the actors' union and major Hollywood studios and streamers, who are represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

The deadline to reach a new agreement expired Wednesday, July 12 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time. The strike officially begins Friday at midnight Pacific time.

The actors will now join the writers on the picket line, marking the first time since 1960 two major guilds will be striking at the same time.

The writers' strike began May 2 and is in its 10th week.Fran Drescher, SAG-AFTRA president, and Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, national executive director/chief negotiator, took part Thursday at a press conference following the national board vote to make the strike announcement.«They stand on the wrong side of history at this moment,» Drescher said, calling out the studio heads. «You share the wealth because you cannot exist without us!»Among the actors' sticking points for a new agreement are improved compensation and benefits, residuals that reflect the value of their contributions amid the expansion of streaming services, regulated use of artificial intelligence and the issue of self-taped auditions.Shortly after the current contract expired, Drescher and Crabtree-Ireland issued a statement to SAG-AFTRA members, saying the AMPTP's response to their proposals for a fair agreement «have not been adequate.» They also announced the negotiating committee had voted unanimously to recommend a strike, passing their recommendation along to the national board Thursday morning.On Thursday evening London time, the cast of went forward with the U.K.