SAG-AFTRA, the union representing approximately 160,000 actors in Hollywood, released a statement on Thursday (October 12th) claiming that studios are resorting to “bully tactics” and have walked away from the negotiating table. This comes as the union marks 92 days on strike.
“I was certainly taken by surprise by their decision last night to call me and cancel our scheduled negotiation session for today and to tell me that they don’t plan to return to the table,” National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland told The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday (October 12th).
He added, “There is no way to move this forward without talking. And it took them so long to get back to the table in the first place. It’s really disappointing that after this amount of time, they would just walk away again.”
Charmed actress Alyssa Milano shared SAG-AFTRA’s statement to her Instagram page on Thursday (October 12th) and added, “The fact that these corporations feel that sag aftra members are not worthy of even negotiating—IS DEVASTATING … But honestly, this issue is bigger than entertainment. This issue is the same corporate greed vs. labor that we are seeing everywhere.”
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos told Variety on Thursday morning (October 12th) that he felt the union was asking for too much. “We had very productive talks going, then what kind of happened last night — they introduced this levy on subscribers, on top of… historic highs in terms of increases across the board.”
The Hollywood Reporter shared an image to Instagram from the picket line outside of Disney Studios in Burbank, California, on Thursday (October 12th). It featured a giant Mickey Mouse glove giving the studio the middle finger.
