SAG-AFTRA Negotiations Rescheduled for Thursday

Negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and Hollywood studios have been rescheduled for Thursday after the performers’ union determined to take extra time to supply responses to the businesses’ newest proposals.

Thursday’s face-to-face gathering will see SAG-AFTRA responding to the businesses’ gives after what sources describe as a lackluster return to negotiations on Tuesday. That day, representatives for administration — together with Disney CEO Bob Iger, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, NBCUniversal Studio Group chairman and chief content material officer Donna Langley and Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav — offered an adjusted model of the success-based streaming bonus that it had beforehand supplied the union. It’s a model of the proposal that the Writers Guild of America accepted in September to reward members with profitable streaming tasks.

Nevertheless it’s nonetheless a far cry from what SAG-AFTRA had been advocating for. First, the union sought a share of income generated by sequence proven on streaming platforms (2 p.c, which negotiators later downscaled to 1 p.c). When studios expressed that this was a major sticking level, the union pivoted to making use of a payment on streaming subscribers, the thought being that if the labor group might set up a construction that might extra generously compensate members because the streaming enterprise grew, it wouldn’t need to combat tooth and nail to enhance streaming residuals each three years. However the studio facet additionally demurred on that time, strolling out of negotiations for almost two weeks on Oct. 11 largely as a result of this newest ask.

As of now, says one union-side supply, the union believes the studios’ success-based streaming bonus proposal would solely have an effect on about 40 out of roughly 600 exhibits and could be valued at round $27 million a yr in further income (as in contrast with the $500-million-a-year proposal SAG-AFTRA put ahead earlier within the month).

On Tuesday the studios additionally proposed a bigger annual pay enhance to performers’ contractually outlined minimal wages. Administration instructed a 7 p.c wage bump within the first yr of the contract, up from the 5 p.c that they’d placed on the desk earlier, and 11 p.c for background performers. Nonetheless, SAG-AFTRA has been advocating for an 11 p.c enhance for all performers on this first yr to account for inflation, so it stays to be seen how the union will react to this newest transfer.

As of Tuesday, there have been nonetheless main gadgets left on the desk that hadn’t but been resolved, together with laws on using AI, will increase to streaming residuals and pension and well being contribution caps, based on the union-side supply. It’s typically understood that the CEOs will keep to handle the big-picture gadgets on SAG-AFTRA’s docket, with the standard Alliance of Movement Image and Tv Producers negotiators dealing with the remainder.