Members of SAG-AFTRA, the union representing actors, voted by 97.91 percent to authorize a strike if the guild doesn’t reach a new contract with studios and streamers by the end of the month.
Nearly 65,000 members cast ballots, representing 47.69 percent of the guild’s eligible voters, SAG-AFTRA announced Monday night on its website.
The union begins contract talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on Wednesday, June 7.
Related Story: Hollywood Directors Announce Contract Deal With Producers as Writers Strike Continues
SAG-AFTRA’s current contract covering movies and TV shows expires at midnight on June 30.
If no agreement is reached, the guild could call a strike. Broadcast journalists, who are also represented by SAG-AFTRA, would not be included in the strike since they have separate contracts.
“As we enter what may be one of the most consequential negotiations in the union’s history, inflation, dwindling residuals due to streaming, and generative AI all threaten actors’ ability to earn a livelihood if our contracts are not adapted to reflect the new realities,” said SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. “This strike authorization means we enter our negotiations from a position of strength, so that we can deliver the deal our members want and deserve.”
The contract talks begin just over a month after members of the Writers Guild of America went on strike once contract talks with the AMPTP broke down.
Many SAG-AFTRA members have been joining striking writers on the picket line in a show of solidarity.
The image above is courtesy of Shutterstock.
