SAG-AFTRA plans to resume negotiations with major studios on April 27, thanks to an early agreement with the Writers Guild of America.
The Performers Guild ended negotiations with the Motion Picture and Television Producers Alliance on March 15th. The two sides had been negotiating for five weeks at this point, with plans to resume negotiations in June after AMPTP consulted with the WGA and the Directors Guild of America.
But the WGA reached a tentative agreement on Saturday, about a month before the contract was set to expire, marking an unexpected start to AMPTP’s calendar.
“SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP will resume formal negotiations on Monday, April 27th, and will remain under mutually agreed media control,” the union and Studio Group said in a joint statement Monday.
SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP are now working to finalize an agreement before the DGA comes to the studio for talks on May 11th.
The main issues to be solved regarding SAG-AFTRA are related to artificial intelligence and streaming residuals.
The WGA announced the tentative agreement Saturday night, telling members it would put the union’s health plan on a “sustainable trajectory.” The health care system had an accumulated deficit of $200 million over the past four years due to declining employment and steadily increasing health care costs.
The WGA Negotiations Committee unanimously recommended the agreement to the WGA East-West Board, which must approve it before sending it to member states for ratification.
