SAG-AFTRA Talks Break Down As Studios Walk Away, Citing Gap 'Too Great'

Negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have broken down once again, with the AMPTP walking away from talks while citing a gap "too great" between itself and the guild.

In a lengthy statement posted on social media early Thursday morning, SAG-AFTRA countered that the AMPTP used "bully tactics" in the latest round of negotiations and is "putting out misleading information in an attempt to fool our members into abandoning our solidarity and putting pressure on our negotiators."

"It is with profound disappointment that we report the industry CEOs have walked away from the bargaining table after refusing to counter our latest offer," the labor union's statement read. "We have negotiated with them in good faith, despite the fact that last week they presented an offer that was, shockingly, worth less than they proposed before the strike began."

According to SAG-AFTRA, the studios "refuse to protect performers from being replaced by AI, they refuse to increase your wages to keep up with inflation, and they refuse to share a tiny portion of the immense revenue your work generates for them."

That final point — SAG-AFTRA's desire for a share of streaming revenue for all union-covered shows — would, according to the AMPTP, cost more than $800 million a year and create "an untenable economic burden." But the guild asserted in its latest statement that the revenue share proposal "would cost the companies less than 57 cents per subscriber each year," adding that the AMPTP has "intentionally misrepresented to the press the cost of the above proposal – overstating it by 60%."

The AMPTP released its own statement on Wednesday after talks were suspended, which read, "After meaningful conversations, it is clear that the gap between the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA is too great, and conversations are no longer moving us in a productive direction... We hope that SAG-AFTRA will reconsider and return to productive negotiations soon."

Members of SAG-AFTRA have been on strike since July 13, after more than a month of contract negotiations between the guild and the AMPTP ended without agreement on a new deal. The writers' strike, meanwhile, officially ended on Oct. 9, when 99% of WGA members voted in favor of ratifying a new contract with the AMPTP.