According to Deadline, SAG-AFTRA’s national director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland blasts studios during a rally at Time Square. Crabtree-Ireland blasted AMPTP during the rally on Tuesday stating that the response that the companies gave to the guild’s proposal before contract talks broke off and the actors’ strike began 12 days ago was “No. No. No.”
According to Deadline, Crabtree-Ireland noted while speaking before hundreds of actors and many supporters from other guilds and unions that when he and SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescherhad had spoken to the CEOs of three studios on the last day of bargaining on May 12th and said, “Here’s all you have to do to make sure there’s no strike. All you have to do is make this fair deal.
“They continued, ’And their response was, ‘No.’ The same response that they have given to so many proposals that were essential for actors to be treated in a respectful and fair way.
“Do actors get to have minimum wage increases that keep up with inflation? ‘No.’
“Do actors get to have a share of the streaming revenue that has been created because of their faces and their voices on these new platforms, these new businesses these companies are creating? ‘No. We don’t even want to talk about it.’
“Are they willing to give actors true informed consent about the use of their own face, voice, body, likeness in the creation of artificial intelligence digital doubles of them? ‘No.’”
He said, “This strike is the result of big corporations that refuse to treat our members fairly. And it’s not okay, and we are standing up and we are saying ‘No’ to that…This is a united membership who are standing together and are saying ‘No’ to an unfair deal. Are saying ‘No’ to disrespect from these companies.”
Full video of the speech down below.
According to Deadline, Crabtree-Ireland continues to add, “Before the AMPTP walked away from the bargaining table – and make no mistake, they walked away from the bargaining table – we may be on strike, but I said to them on July 12th that we are ready to continue talking tomorrow and every after until we reach a deal. And I’ve said that every day since, to the media, to them and to anyone who will listen. SAG-AFTRA is ready, willing and able to return to the bargaining table. The only reason we aren’t there right now is because those companies said that they didn’t want to deal with people who are ‘uncivilized.’ Boos from the crowd. And because those companies said that they wouldn’t be ready to talk for quite some time. More boos and jeers. That’s right. That’s exactly right. We reject that.’’
Crabtree-Ireland said, “We made a very reasonable proposal to share in the revenue from the streaming platform that’s been created because of you – all of you. And their response to that was ‘We’re not interested in discussing that.’ And now the AMPTP is trying to claim that their last contract offer to us is worth over $1 billion a year. Which is not true at all. But the fact is, none of their spin is going to trick anyone. It’s not going to fool you and it’s not going to fool anyone else out there.’’
Down below is another video of Crabtree-Ireland discussing arguments of pay differences.