There is an offer brewing to be made to SAG-AFRTA by the most notable Hollywood studios. The 113-day actors strike may come to a close today, according to Variety. The studios are hoping that SAG-AFTRA will accept the offer they have.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, or AMPTP, has cautioned the actors union that if a deal is not settled by the end of the week, they will have to cancel some TV shows. These cancellations will also further postpone the 2024 summer season’s theatrical releases.
The discussion between the two will continue through the weekend, but only if both sides feel an agreement is within sight. Agreements between the Directors Guild of America and Writers Guild of America were concluded on a Saturday in June and a Sunday in September.
Fran Drescher (The Nanny, Happily Divorced), SAG-AFTRA’s president, took to Instagram today to share her thoughts on how today would go. She hoped the studios’ reply would “seal the deal.”
“Let’s hope the amptp ceo’s resurface with a seal the deal counter!” Drescher said.
At this time, the AMPTP has not articulated to SAG-AFTRA that this will be their “last, best and final” offer. This is a saying in the art world concerning labor negotiations, which practically hints that AMPTP will not engage in any more “concession” bargaining.
Although SAG-AFTRA could reject the offer and continue to strike, the union counteroffered last weekend, and AMPTP still has not responded.
SAG-AFTRA also gave a three-hour presentation on their latest offers on AI.
The union has refused to accept some items, including AI, that it feels may be “existential” for actors. The studios have complained that actors are producing excessive AI scenarios and aren’t reaching an agreement.
There are about a dozen other items that will be highlighted, which will be brought up during Saturday’s counteroffer by SAG-AFTRA.