SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher Tells ‘GMA’ Contract Talks Making Headway “In Some Areas”, But “In Some Areas We’re Not”

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SAG-AFTRA’s negotiations for a new contract are making headway “in some areas” but not in others, Fran Drescher, the guild’s president, said in an interview today on ABC’s Good Morning America.   “We do have unprecedented support from the union members where, if we feel like we’re not making headway when the contract expires, which is June 30th at 11:59 p.m. [PT], we’re gonna have to strike,” she said. (Watch the interview below.) “Are you making headway?” asked host Michael Strahan. “You know, in some areas we are, and in some areas we’re not.

So we just have to see. I mean, in earnest, it would be great if we can walk away with a deal that we want. And at the end of the day, you know, we’re living in a time that’s very different from the last few decades when the foundation of the contract was forged.

It’s the digital age now and the age of streaming, and it’s a whole different business model. So it really begs that we stand firm and hold strong and do right by the members in this industry and honor the massive contribution that they make.

So I’m really in it to win it on behalf of our 180,000 members. And we stand by the Writers Guild, too.” On June 5, SAG-AFTRA members voted 98% in favor of authorizing a strike if the contract talks fail to reach an acceptable deal. RELATED: SAG-AFTRA Factions Form Unity Slate To Re-Elect President Fran Drescher & Secretary-Treasurer Joely Fisher In Rare Show Of Solidarity On Saturday, Drescher and Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the guild’s national executive director, posted a video in which they told their members that the guild’s contract negotiations have been “extremely productive” and that they “remain optimistic” that a fair deal can be reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture