SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers passed the midnight expiration of their current contract with no word of a new deal or formal extension.
The three-year contract between Hollywood’s largest performers union and producers expired at midnight PT on June 30, but both sides agreed to extend it in 24-hour increments in the late evening on each of the last three days. But Monday came and went with no word of a fourth straight extension, and a deal had not been announced by 3 a.m. PT Tuesday.
Representatives of both sides did not respond to requests for comment. SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP have been negotiating under a formal media blackout.
Some of the major issues in this round of contract talks include compensation for short seasons, such as those preferred by many streaming services and premium cable channels, residual payments, and relocation allowances for parts on Hollywood hits that shoot in places like Atlanta.
Last Sunday, the guild’s national board of directors unanimously voted for a strike authorization referendum if a deal could not be reached by midnight Friday. Later that day, letter posted on its website, SAG-AFTRA President and Chair of the TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee Gabrielle Carteris and National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator David White blasted producers for “outrageous rollbacks” and said the guild would prepare to strike rather than succumb to “management’s onerous demands.”
“We have presented reasonable proposals to address the critical concerns facing our members and that are integral to making a living in this industry,” they wrote. ” The AMPTP has responded with outrageous rollbacks that cut to the core of our basic terms and conditions. Despite our efforts, the AMPTP has failed to make sufficient progress on our most critical issues. The status quo is simply unacceptable and our members, standing together, will not give in to management’s onerous demands nor back down on our critical proposals.”
But since guild’s proclaimed midnight deadline on Friday came and went, both sides have extended talks on a day-by-day basis three times in order to continue working on a deal.