SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents the studios in labor talks, announced on Thursday that negotiations on a new bargaining agreement will begin on June 7.
“Both the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA are approaching this process as an opportunity to engage in thoughtful and interactive conversations that result in a mutually beneficial deal,” the two sides said in a joint statement.
The current contract between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP expires on June 30, as will the current contract between the AMPTP and the Directors Guild of America. The AMPTP has scheduled the start of its contract negotiation with the DGA on May 10.
Before either of those talks begin, the AMPTP is set to resume negotiations with the Writers Guild of America in the hopes of reaching a tentative agreement before its existing MBA with the guild expires on May 1. When those talks resume, the WGA is expected to return to the bargaining table with authorization from its members to order a strike should a deal not be reached. The vote on the strike authorization is currently ongoing and will continue until April 17.
Regardless of the guild, all three rounds of negotiations are expected by insiders to be filled with difficult talks over various issues regarding wages and working conditions. While the specifics of the demands of each guild change, all three have spoken of the need for a dramatic shift in how writers, directors and actors are compensated for their work in a media landscape that continues to be reshaped by streaming.
