SAG-AFTRA strike still facing “a lot of issues”

Negotiations continue in the US on the SAG-AFTRA strike with US Studios.

SAG-AFTRA Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said while progress has been made there is still much to address and he was unable to hint at when it will be resolved.

“I think that depends on the mindset that everybody brings to the table this week,” he said. “I certainly hope we can move things forward quickly, but there are important issues that are still open, and until they’re done, there’s no deal.”

The union communicated with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Saturday and Sunday. The two sides are expected to talk later on Monday (Tues Australia) about how to proceed with bargaining this week.

“There has been progress, and that’s the source of my continued cautious optimism,” Crabtree-Ireland said.

Among the issues still to be resolved is artificial intelligence. SAG-AFTRA wants to put boundaries around the use of AI to recreate performers’ likenesses, including consent and a minimum compensation floor for such use.

“There are a number of big issues within the AI bucket that we’re currently working on,” Crabtree-Ireland said.

But he stressed that AI is not the only thing holding up a deal.

“There are a lot of issues still open,” he said. “It’s not only AI that’s left on the table. There are other big issues that we are still working on.”

Updated: “While talks over the past week have been productive, we remain far apart on key issues,” SAG-AFTRA said later, once again asking their 160,000-strong membership to show up on the picket lines, “raise your voices at rallies across the country,” and take to social media over successive days.

Source: Variety, Deadline