UNITED STATES: Prior to the SAG-AFTRA union calling for a strike last week, major film and television studios reportedly promised Hollywood actors more than $1 billion in increased pay and improved benefits. This information was released on Monday by an organization that represents media firms.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which bargains on behalf of Netflix Inc., Walt Disney Co., Warner Bros. Discovery, and other parties, claimed SAG-AFTRA “continues to mischaracterize the negotiations.”
After union negotiators claimed they were unable to reach an understanding with studios on a new three-year contract with better benefits and restrictions on the use of their photos by artificial intelligence, SAG-AFTRA announced a strike last Thursday.
The agreement that SAG-AFTRA withdrew from on July 12 offers first-of-their-kind protections over its three-year period, specifically with regard to AI. It is worth more than $1 billion in wage hikes, pension and health contributions, and residual increases, according to AMPTP.
The AMPTP criticized SAG-AFTRA for not being receptive to its membership demands, claiming they have not been receptive. The union released a list of suggestions and studios’ responses, claiming they are fighting for the survival of their profession.
The union requested an 11% general wage rise in the first year of the contract to account for inflation, but the studios responded with a 5% offer.
SAG-AFTRA stated that the union made some progress, but from the beginning the studios refused to participate in genuine discussion about the most important issues.
The writers’ union, the Writers Guild of America (WGA), went on strike on May 2 after failing to reach an agreement with the AMPTP, and the actors have now joined them.
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