SAG-AFTRA and major studios have agreed to continue negotiations on a new contract next week, indicating that both sides see value in further talks.
The performers’ union began negotiations on February 9 for the first time since the 2023 strike. Initial expectations were that negotiations would run until March 6, leaving a week for the Motion Picture and Television Producers Alliance to prepare for negotiations with the Writers Guild of America, which begin on March 16.
But apparently enough progress has been made to raise hopes that a deal may be reached in the coming days.
“SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP have extended negotiations until the week of March 9th and will continue under a mutually agreed media blackout,” the two countries said in a joint statement Friday.
The SAG-AFTRA contract does not expire until June 30, making the February start date unusually early. The two sides are considering terms related to artificial intelligence, streaming residuals, health care and pension funding, as well as more obscure topics such as exclusive slots for series regulars.
If the two sides cannot reach an agreement soon, negotiations will likely be broken off and resumed in June, when deadline pressures will increase.
The Directors Guild of America is scheduled to begin negotiations on May 11th. Meanwhile, the WGA’s contract expires on May 1st. All three guilds are facing challenges stemming from a dramatic drop in jobs from 2022 onwards. The WGA and DGA, in particular, face large annual health fund deficits as a result of job stagnation and rising health care costs.
