SAG-AFTRA, Hollywood studios to meet again Friday, Oct. 27

SAG-AFTRA, studios to resume negotiations

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios, broke off talks on Oct. 11 following five negotiating sessions spread over two weeks.

LOS ANGELES - Union and studio negotiators are scheduled to meet Friday for the third time in four days in an attempt to end the actors' strike.

Negotiators from the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists "passed a comprehensive counter across the table to the CEOs" Thursday, according to a statement from the union.

The union's TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee met following the meeting, the union reported.

Thursday's nearly five-hour negotiating session focused on SAG-AFTRA's response to the AMPTP's most recent offer of increased bonuses based on the success of streaming shows and movies and a rise in minimum rates, the entertainment news site Deadline reported.

Using the agreement with the Writers Guild of America as a baseline, the studios had put forth a 7% increase in minimums while SAG-AFTRA reduced its request for an 11% increase, according to Deadline.

The first bargaining session between the two sides since Oct. 11 was Tuesday with Disney's Bob Iger, NBCUniversal's Donna Langley, Warner Bros Discovery's David Zaslav and Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos participating, according to Deadline.

Negotiators had been scheduled to meet for a second consecutive day Wednesday, but the talks were canceled to allow the union's negotiating committee to review the latest counter-offer from the studios, according to a union statement.

The AMPTP, which represents the studios, broke off talks on Oct. 11 following five negotiating sessions spread over two weeks.

The actors' union demands include general wage increases, protections against the use of actor images through artificial intelligence, boosts in compensation for successful streaming programs and improvements in health and retirement benefits.