LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Hollywood actors have announced intending strike action following failure to reach contract agreement with Hollywood studios.
Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), the union which represents 160,000 performers including A-list stars, said it failed to resolve their demands over dwindling pay and the threat posed by artificial intelligence.
The union’s negotiators had unanimously recommended a strike to its national committee, which was set to vote today, on whether to carry out industrial action, it said in a statement.
“A double strike of actors and writers, not seen in Hollywood since 1960, would bring nearly all US film and television productions to a halt.
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“Popular series set to return to television this year would face lengthy delays. And, if strikes continue, future blockbuster films would be postponed too.
“Actors are demanding better pay, and protections against the future use of AI in television and films.
“We are deeply disappointed that SAG-AFTRA has decided to walk away from negotiations. This is the Union’s choice, not ours,” the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said in a statement earlier today.
The Union further described Hollywood studios’ last-minute move of calling in Federal mediators to help resolve the deadlock, as a “cynical ploy“.
SAG-AFTRA represents A-list stars such as Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Glenn Close and all members have pre-approved industrial action if a deal is not struck.