EXCLUSIVE: As talks between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP continue this week, actors are already preparing for the possibility of a strike. If negotiations reach a stalemate at midnight on July 12, there could be a double strike alongside the Writers Guild. The extension of the current film and TV contract allows for ongoing bargaining on a new deal. Talks have been taking place over the weekend and on Monday.
According to FilmmakerFocus, actors are actively working on picket signs, ordering T-shirts, and organizing a list of lot captains and coordinators. The WGA captains and coordinators have been instrumental in organizing the writers strike, which is now in its 65th day, coordinating daily actions outside studios in Los Angeles and New York City.
Although SAG-AFTRA has not officially reached out to the WGA to discuss plans and logistics, there have been offers of assistance from individual WGA members. It is expected that SAG-AFTRA will join the WGA at established studio picket sites, requiring additional staffing from the writers.
If SAG-AFTRA members decide to strike, they are expected to hit the streets on the morning of Thursday, July 13. Over the long July 4th weekend, SAG-AFTRA sent an email to its members asking them to join the pickets at CBS Radford, resulting in a large turnout. Guild staff showed up and set up their own table separate from the WGA, without prior notice, but they were welcomed by the writers.
A strike involving the Writers Guild and the Screen Actors Guild (minus AFTRA) is rare but not unprecedented. In 1960, the WGA was in the midst of a five-month strike when SAG president Ronald Reagan called for the actors guild’s own strike.
A WGA member source expressed optimism, stating, “The writers have gone it alone on 7 out of 8 strikes and won each of them. We’ll get the deal we need this time as well, but we would welcome them on the line. The actors joining us would be as historic as in 1960 when concurrent strikes gave us health care and our pension. The WGA has long known that the studios give up nothing without a fight, which means walking, and it appears the SAG-AFTRA membership does now as well. The membership seems ready to walk the line.”
There are concerns among some actors that the leadership may strike a deal that falls short of their expectations. A letter signed by A-listers including Meryl Streep, Amy Schumer, and Charlize Theron expresses this concern. The hope is that the leadership will be aware of the importance of the current situation. FilmmakerFocus has reached out to SAG-AFTRA for an official comment.