SAG-AFTRA weighing 'last, best and final offer' from Hollywood studios
LOS ANGELES - Negotiators for actors and the major Hollywood studios met again Saturday in another effort to hammer out an agreement that would end the 114-day strike that has halted film and scripted television production.
"The [Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers] needs to take SAG/AFTRA's demands seriously and both sides need to address this negotiation with maximum urgency," said Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios, made an offer to the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists during Saturday's session, and union officials said they were reviewing the offer.
"We received an offer today from the AMPTP, which they characterized as their `Last, Best, and Final Offer,"' the SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee said in a statement. "We are reviewing it and considering our response within the context of the critical issues addressed in our proposals."
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The exact details of the offer were not immediately available.
SAG-AFTRA is seeking limitations on the use of artificial intelligence to re-create actors' likenesses and performances, while the AMPTP has advocated for informed consent and fair pay in situations where performers are digitally replicated.
"The importance of the motion picture and television industry to our region cannot be overstated. The revenue it generates sustains many businesses and families beyond those directly employed in production," said Krekorian. "Prolonging this contract dispute further will impair the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of men and women who have no seat at the bargaining table."
The studios have warned that unless a deal is reached this week it will be impossible for the broadcasters to salvage half a season of scripted television.
The 2024 summer movie season is also increasingly in peril, as more and more films have been delayed to 2025.
The union's other demands include general wage increases, boosts in compensation for successful streaming programs and improvements in health and retirement benefits.
The strike is the longest TV/film work stoppage in the union's history.