SAG-AFTRA members and supporters picket outside Disney Studios on the 111th day of their strike against Hollywood Studios, in Burbank, California, on November 1, 2023.
Frederick J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
Hollywood will remain in suspense Thursday when negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are scheduled to continue.
The two parties were still in negotiations as of Wednesday evening, speaking via artificial intelligence — Which proved to be a sticking point at the conclusion of these contract talks — A union source said, and other issues. As at previous bargaining dates this week, Hollywood CEOs were not present at the talks, which were led from the management side by AMPTP President Carole Lombardini.
“Things are still moving but slow,” a source from the studio said when contacted Wednesday.
SAG-AFTRA too He wrote in a letter To its members after talks on Wednesday, “The Negotiating Committee met today to discuss and finalize our response to the AMPTP AI counterproposal we received yesterday. Negotiators then met with AMPTP representatives for more than three hours this afternoon and evening to present and review our revised proposal. We continue to We await AMPTP’s response to the comprehensive package of counter-proposals we presented to them on Saturday, which address the outstanding issues.
As of Tuesday, a deal appeared to be on the horizon even as issues remained, including barriers to entertainment companies’ uses of artificial intelligence. That day, a source at the studio indicated that it could take a few days to reach a decision on the deal points left on the table, while several top actors said they had been told that a tentative agreement could be reached soon.
Wednesday morning before negotiations began at 11:30 a.m., members of the SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee, as well as President Fran Drescher and National CEO Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, joined a crowded “unit picket” at Disney Studios in Burbank. Protesters chanted “Longer Day/Stronger Day” as they marched in front of the Disney main gate carrying signs that read, “Your show was bananas!” Bananas!” and “Bxtch Betta get my money.”
In a video message shared on SAG-AFTRA’s social media, Crabtree-Ireland confirmed that members of other entertainment unions, such as IATSE and Teamsters, also attended. “Everyone here is supporting us today and sending a message to these companies that they have to get to the finish line and make a fair deal with us,” he said.
In her own video message on social media on Wednesday, Drescher addressed her negotiating style after reports surfaced that she attended negotiations with a heart-shaped plush doll. “I can be exactly who I am, I can lead with thought, I can lead with wisdom, I can lead with compassion, I can be me,” she said. “I can lead and hold on to a little heart-shaped toy that I call ‘Love.’”
Kim Masters contributed reporting.