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Source: Pixabay

Talks between Hollywood labour unions and studios over new employment contracts kicked off on Monday (February 9) as representatives from actors guild SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) began formal negotiations in Los Angeles. 

The talks are being held under a media blackout, with both sides agreeing that neither will comment to the media during the process.

Talks between producers and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) are set to start on March 6 and between producers and the Directors Guild of America (DGA) on May 11. 

If the SAG-AFTRA negotiations do not result in an agreement by May 6 they will resume after the WGA and DGA talks. Current TV and theatrical contracts between the guilds and producers expire on June 30. 

It is widely expected that the big issues for discussion in the contract talks will include health care and AI. In a statement last week, DGA negotiating committee chairs Jon Avnet and Karen Gaviola said the Guild “enters this year’s negotiations against the backdrop of a rapidly changing industry. Declining production, the rise of AI, studio consolidation, and health care inflation are just some of the issues framing our negotiations.” 

The backdrop also takes in fears over the possible consequences of another extended work stoppage. The last round of TV and theatrical contract negotiations in 2023 led to a 118-day strike by SAG-AFTRA members and a 148-day stoppage by the WGA.

 

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