Contract negotiations between US actors union SAG-AFTRA and the Hollywood studios have been extended for an additional week, in what may be a sign of progress towards a new employment agreement.
The talks began on February 9 and were originally scheduled to continue until Friday (March 6). But in a joint statement on Friday SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) said they would “extend negotiations into the week of March 9, and remain under a mutually agreed upon media blackout.”
The extension gives the two sides another week to talk before the scheduled start on March 16 of contract talks between the AMPTP and the Writers Guild of America (WGA). Negotiations between the studio and streamer trade group and the Directors Guild of America (DGA) are due to follow on May 11.
If the SAG-AFTRA negotiations do not result in an agreement by the end of next week they are expected to resume after the WGA and DGA talks. The WGA’s current contract expires on May 1 while the DGA’s and SAG-AFTRA’s run until June 30.
This year’s round of contract negotiations take place against a backdrop of concern about 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 WGA members.
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