SAG-AFTRA, which starts its contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on June 7, is in “the same boat” with the Writers Guild as it strikes for a fair contract, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland told a cheering crowd Wednesday night at the WGA strike rally at the Shrine Auditorium.
Watch his remarks here:
“I am here on behalf of the 160,000 members of SAG-AFTRA,” he told the roaring crowd of 1,800 writers after being introduced by WGA West president Meredith Stiehm. “I come bearing greetings from our national president, Fran Drescher, who not only is president of SAG-AFTRA, but a member of the Writers Guild.
“I’m also here to say on behalf of the 80 members of the national board who voted unanimously last weekend a resolution of strong support for the Writers Guild and your fight with the studios in Hollywood to make sure that there is fair treatment for all creative professionals. We are in the same boat together.”
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“So really,” he said, “the main message that I’m here to deliver is that we stand with you; we’re here to support you; SAG-AFTRA will be by your side throughout this strike until you get a fair deal from the AMPTP, and we are going to achieve the same thing ourselves in our negotiations. So thank you for the chance to be here and we’ll see you on the picket line.”
Other speakers at Wednesday’s rally included representatives from IATSE, Laborers Local 724, IBEW Local 40 and Plasterers Local 755, as well as Jon Avnet, chair of the Directors Guild’s negotiating committee. The DGA starts its contract talks with the AMPTP on Wednesday.
