SAG-AFTRA Strike Reaches 100 Days: ‘They’re Hoping They Can Break Us’
21.10.2023 - 15:51
/ variety.com
Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer On the first day of the SAG-AFTRA strike in July, union president Fran Drescher was asked how long she expected it to last. “We’re set up to go six months if we have to,” Drescher said. It hasn’t been that long yet.
But as the strike reaches the 100-day mark on Saturday, it is already the longest actors strike involving the film and TV companies in Hollywood history. It’s also not clear that it will be over any time soon. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers suspended negotiations on Oct.
11, and there has been, as yet, no sign of a return to the bargaining table. SAG-AFTRA has expressed frustration over the lack of talks. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s chief negotiator, said the 100-day milestone is a reminder of how little substantive negotiation has taken place since the strike began.
“We all will reflect on the fact that it’s been such a long time and so many of those days have been spent out on the picket lines and not in the room negotiating with the companies,” he said. Asked if he still thought it was possible for the strike to go into January, he said, “I certainly hope it won’t be that long. But it requires two parties to talk in order for us to move things forward.” A key question is how long SAG-AFTRA can maintain its solidarity.
Drescher is now facing dissent from A-listers led by George Clooney, who went public on Thursday with an alternate plan to resolve the strike. Drescher quickly shot it down as unworkable, but the back-and-forth exposed a rift between the guild and many of its most famous members. Union leaders are also urging members to show their support by spending just a couple hours a day on the picket lines.
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