As the entertainment industry still reels from the 2023 writers and actors strikes, the clock is already ticking toward another work stoppage.
As the entertainment industry still reels from the 2023 writers and actors strikes, the clock towards another work stoppage is already ticking. But as the Big 3 unions kick off labor negotiations on a new contract with the major studios — SAG/AFTRA starts today — there’s guarded optimism that Hollywood can avoid what would amount to mutually assured destruction.
As the entertainment industry still reels from the 2023 writers and actors strikes, the clock is already ticking toward another work stoppage. Many of the unresolved issues from the strikes, particularly around AI and streaming residuals, are still sticking points. Add decades of mistrust that bubbled over in 2023. But the temperature is decidedly lower this time, a far cry from the fiery rhetoric that predated the last round of talks. Back then, a perfect storm of streaming-era disruption and downward financial pressure from Wall Street, coupled with a groundswell of pro-union sentiment across the US made a work stoppage a fait accompli. , then-SAG/AFTRA president, often acted as if she was auditioning for a “Norma Rae” remake, memorably proclaiming their union was “being victimized by a very greedy entity.” On the other side, Disney boss to shout at an NYC rally: “We’ve got a message for Mr. Iger… we will not allow you to take away our dignity!”)Bob Iger's next move after Disney — a legacy-securing book with help from Hilary Clinton speech writers “I think everyone involved on both sides of the table, all three guilds and the studios would like to avoid a repeat of what happened last time,” a source familiar with studio-side thinking tells Page Six Hollywood. Reps for all three unions did not comment. A spokesperson for the AMPTP, the group that negotiates on behalf of the major studios, told P6H that, “we are optimistic that, together, we can reach a fair deal.” AI will again be a major issue. Although a source familiar with studios’ thinking tells us that they’re not expecting to go after the AI guardrails that were set in place in 2023, which were described as “meaningful.” Instead the fight over AI will come down to how performers are compensated when their work is used to train AI models, as well as any restrictions on what can be used. The union also wants financial penalties for studios who use AI performers in place of humans., SAG/AFTRA’s current executive director said during last month’s CES in Las Vegas. This being Hollywood, expect some last minute drama with some pros predicting the talks will still go down to the wire. , a film producer-turned-NYU professor, tells Page Six Hollywood. “I don’t know… I’ve seen situations where it’s so obviously not in anyone’s interest to prolong, but they do.”
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