The strike, supported by 11,500 screenwriters and approximately 65,000 actors in Hollywood, continues in its second week in front of the studios and offices of global internet television networks such as Amazon, MAX and Netflix.
Although the strikes are mostly held in Los Angeles and New York, it has been announced that there will be various events in the cities of Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago.
While it is not yet known when the negotiations with the studios and broadcasting companies represented by the Cinema and Television Producers Association (AMPTP) will continue, it is stated that AMPTP offers a salary increase to screenwriters and actors and is trying to meet other demands.
The screenwriters and actors who went on strike felt that the proposals in question were “inadequate” and not a “fair deal”.
Disney didn’t find the unions’ demand “realistic”
Disney CEO Bob Iger said the demands of the unions were “not realistic”, while Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said they were “determined to reach an agreement that is fair to the union and all parties in the industry as soon as possible”.
Speaking in front of Paramount Studios in Hollywood, screenwriter and actor Seth Green noted that internet television networks, which had become the main source of entertainment during the COVID-19 pandemic, are “turning up” the livelihoods of those who are currently on strike.
The SAG-AFTRA strike, combined with the strike launched by the screenwriters in the US for the same reason, is thought to cause the industry-wide “closure” of Hollywood for the first time since 1960, delaying TV series and movie screenings, and causing financial damage to producer companies.
Strikes of screenwriters and actors in Hollywood
In the joint message published on the website of SAG-AFTRA, it was announced that a step was taken for a strike decision as the negotiations with AMPTP regarding the salary and job security of the artists were inconclusive.
A strike was held in the city of Los Angeles on July 15, as they could not get any results from the negotiations they had with the television producer companies demanding job guarantee and salary security.
WGA also announced that they went on strike on May 2 on the grounds that they were working under more difficult conditions in recent years, when there was a rapid increase in annual TV series and film production, and they were paid less in return, and then the two strikes were combined.
The last time the screenwriters went on strike was in 2007, and the 100-day layoff of employees caused about $2 billion in losses.