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Actors’ union says issues remain after studios’ ‘final offer’

by Olafimihan Oshin - 11/07/23 11:31 AM ET

Portraits of SAG-AFTRA founding co-presidents Ken Howard and Roberta Reardon hang next to strike signage following a press conference announcing a strike by The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists on Thursday, July, 13, 2023, in Los Angeles. This marks the first time since 1960 that actors and writers will picket film and television productions at the same time. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

SAG-AFTRA, a union representing many Hollywood actors, said there are still issues with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ (AMPTP) “final offer,” as negotiations between the two reach the final stages.

In a letter sent Monday, the union’s negotiating committee said it has “formally responded” to the AMPTP’s final offer.

“Please know every member of our TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee is determined to secure the right deal and thereby bring this strike to an end responsibly,” the union’s negotiating committee said in the letter.

The negotiating committee members said they still do not have an agreement with the AMPTP on “several essential items,” including artificial intelligence, and promised to keep members updated during the process.

The announcement comes days after the union shared the initial news it had received what the AMPTP called its “Best, Last, and Final Offer.” The union informed members, “we are reviewing it and considering our response within the context of the critical issues addressed in our proposals.”

It’s been four months since the union, which represents more than 160,000 actors, launched a strike against the AMPTP, which represents Hollywood television and film studios, after negotiations fell through on a new contract.

Nearly 5,000 actors signed a letter at the end of last month directed to their union, saying they would “rather go on strike than take a bad deal,” according to NBC News. Among the high-profile actors who signed the letter are Demi Moore, Bryan Cranston, Mark Ruffalo, and Helen Hunt.

“We have not come all this way to cave now. We have not gone without work, without pay, and walked picket lines for months just to give up on everything we’ve been fighting for,” according to the letter. “We cannot and will not accept a contract that fails to address the vital and existential problems that we all need fixed.”

The Writers Guild of America, a union representing more than 11,000 professionals in the entertainment industry, announced earlier in September that it had reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP. The agreement ended a nearly five-month long strike by the union, which halted most television and film productions in Hollywood.