Canadian industry experts discuss looming SAG-AFTRA strike

The U.S. actor's union will confirm its decision to strike on Thursday afternoon following the end of talks with the AMPTP.

M embers of the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) are poised to strike today (July 13) following a collapse in negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

The performers union’s Television, Theatrical and Streaming contracts expired at 11:59 p.m. PT on Wednesday (July 12) without a new agreement in place.

The SAG-AFTRA national board will meet Thursday to vote on whether to strike, with the results to be announced at a press conference at 12 p.m. PT. The negotiating committee has unanimously agreed on a recommendation to call a strike, according to a news release.

“SAG-AFTRA negotiated in good faith and was eager to reach a deal that sufficiently addressed performer needs, but the AMPTP’s responses to the union’s most important proposals have been insulting and disrespectful of our massive contributions to this industry,” said SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher in a statement. “The companies have refused to meaningfully engage on some topics and on others completely stonewalled us. Until they do negotiate in good faith, we cannot begin to reach a deal.”

The union’s website outlines four critical issues in contract negotiations, which include increased compensation, improved residuals for streaming, regulation of generative artificial intelligence (AI), and limiting the use of self-tapes.

The AMPTP issued a statement that it is “deeply disappointed” that talks have ceased, stating that it was SAG-AFTRA’s decision to leave the bargaining table. “In doing so, it has dismissed our offer of historic pay and residual increases, substantially higher caps on pension and health contributions, audition protections, shortened series option periods, a groundbreaking AI proposal that protects actors’ digital likenesses, and more,” read the statement.

If SAG-AFTRA calls a strike, its members will join Writers Guild of America (WGA) members on the picket lines for the first time since 1960. The WGA called a strike more than two months ago after failing to reach an agreement with the AMPTP.

“Every time there’s a tech change, you have a strike,” John Barrack, former lead negotiator for the Canadian Media Producers Association, tells Playback Daily, recalling historic labour disputes in the introduction of video, DVDs and streaming. “Now this is more existential [due to AI] because to what extent do you need writers? Do you need actors? … Everybody who is in a creative field right now on some level feels threatened by AI.”

A SAG-AFTRA strike will bring Canadian service productions, which have already significantly slowed in the wake of the WGA strike, to a halt. It will also have an impact on Canadian productions using SAG-AFTRA members, including CTV series Sullivan’s Crossing, which is marked as “delayed” on the IATSE Local 849 website.

However, a number of Canadian productions will be unaffected, Playback has confirmed. The list includes CBC’s Run the Burbs (Pier 21 Films), One More Time (Counterfeit Pictures), and Murdoch Mysteries (Shaftesbury), Crave and APTN’s Don’t Even (Pier 21 Films, Frantic Films, Sekowan Media), Crave’s The Trades (Trailer Park Boys Inc., Kontent House), and Citytv’s Hudson & Rex (Shaftesbury).

Christina Jennings, chairman and president of Toronto’s Shaftesbury, says that while the strike won’t have an immediate impact on the company’s Canadian-owned productions, it may have an effect on coproductions in the near future. “It just might change our strategy, to be really honest,” she says, noting that they’ll be looking to cast Canadian actors under ACTRA jurisdiction or overseas actors without SAG-AFTRA membership.

A representative from Canadian performers union ACTRA National told Playback that “we are monitoring the situation and will be putting out more information as soon as possible.”

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images