With Hollywood’s hopes for labor peace hitting the skids for now, the Screen Actors Guild and the majors will pull the plug today on three weeks of largely unproductive talks — with no sign of compromise by either side, Variety reports.
After today’s talks conclude, no new SAG negotiations are planned even though the guild’s contract expires June 30. And SAG leaders may even seek a strike authorization vote soon.
The 14th day of negotiations between SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers recessed Thursday evening with both sides refusing to comment other than saying they’d resume talks today. The AMPTP will start bargaining Monday with AFTRA on a new primetime deal that will likely have the effect of isolating SAG.
Expectations are high that AFTRA will make a deal as early as late next week, covering a handful of shows and opening the door for it to begin taking away coverage from SAG in areas of shared jurisdiction. AFTRA split off from SAG in March in the culmination of an ugly dispute over actors on “The Bold and the Beautiful” attempting to decertify from AFTRA.
