2023-07-13 05:44:57 ET
Hollywood is gearing up for the first double strike of writers and actors since 1960 after contract negotiations between a union representing 160,000 actors and major studios failed.
Actors are now to set join writers, who have been on the picket lines for more than two months over demands for higher pay, better working conditions and guardrails for AI use, among others.
The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists voted unanimously to recommend a strike. Its national board will vote Thursday morning on whether to strike.
"After more than four weeks of bargaining, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers remains unwilling to offer a fair deal on the key issues that are essential to SAG-AFTRA members," the union said in a statement .
AMPTP represents major studios and streamers, including Amazon ( AMZN ), Apple ( AAPL ), Disney ( DIS ), NBCUniversal ( CMCSA ), Netflix ( NFLX ), Paramount ( PARA ), Sony ( SONY ) and Warner Bros. Discovery ( WBD ).
"SAG-AFTRA was eager to reach a deal that sufficiently addressed performer needs, but the AMPTP's responses to the union's most important proposals have been insulting and disrespectful of our massive contributions to this industry," said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher.
The strike will likely impact promotional events for this summer's top films including Oppenheimer, Barbie and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.
More on Hollywood's strike
- Potential double strike adds another twist to the Hollywood drama
- Hollywood actors authorize potential strike, following in writers' footsteps
- Hollywood writers strike for first time since 2007, with streaming in focus
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Hollywood set for first double strike in 60 years as talks between actors, studios fail