SAG-AFTRA to Begin AMPTP Talks on June 7

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer To a lot of people outside the negotiating room, a strike by Hollywood writers felt inevitable. But it didn’t feel that way inside the room. Until the last day or two, negotiators for both labor and management believed that the other side would give, and that a deal would be reached at the last moment. But picket lines in Los Angeles and New York this week tell a different story. The conflict that led to the breakdown of talks on the night of May 1 began the day before. On April 30, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers delivered a 40-page package of proposals to WGA’s negotiating committee. It did not include key elements that the Writers Guild of America has insisted are essential to sealing a new three-year contract, including a mandatory minimum number of weeks for TV writers and a minimum staff size for writers rooms.

Mama June Shannon and her family are dealing with a lot of drama on the newest season of ET has an exclusive sneak peek from the premiere episode of the drama-packed series, showing just a glimpse at the bitter, interpersonal friction between Mama June and her daughter, Lauren «Pumpkin» Elfird.In the clip, Lauren finds that she still has not received her child-support payment from her estranged mom, and calls her up to get to the bottom of things. However, when she connects with June, the reality star is in the hospital, and is overwhelmed with concern over her health to deal with the fighting.This season of  is set to deal with the ramifications of the family's highly publicized court battle over Alana «Honey Boo Boo» Thompson's child support.

Talks between the writers and the studios have concluded tonight without an agreement.

On the eve of a threatened writers’ strike, SAG-AFTRA is advising its members that they should “continue to work” in the event of a writers’ strike, which could come as soon as Monday night at midnight.

SAG-AFTRA has once again – and for the last time – extended its dues-relief program for members experiencing Covid-related financial hardship. The union first began offering Covid dues relief in March 2020 during the earliest days of the pandemic. All along, however, it has encouraged members who can pay on time to do so.

SAG-AFTRA and the Joint Policy Committee of the advertising industry have agreed to end their Covid safety protocols for commercial productions effective May 11.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer During a labor negotiation, management almost never speaks publicly. The current negotiations with the Writers Guild of America are no exception. The studio chiefs have said almost nothing, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers has limited itself to a few prepared statements. But Jeff Ruthizer is talking. Ruthizer retired in 2009 as senior vice president of labor relations at ABC. Over a 40-year career, he worked for ABC, NBC, RKO and then ABC again. He negotiated hundreds of contracts and went through numerous strikes, several of them involving NABET, the broadcast technicians’ union.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Negotiations on a new Writers Guild of America contract could go through the weekend, as the sides continue to trade proposals ahead of the Monday deadline. The WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and may hold a session on Saturday, according to a source close to the situation. Given the looming deadline and prospect of a strike grinding Hollywood production activity to a halt, it’s no surprise that the guild and AMPTP representatives would look to work through the weekend in the hopes of avoiding industry-wide disruption. Another source close to the situation emphasized that nothing has been formally scheduled, and may not be until Friday.

Alana «Honey Boo Boo» Thompson was pretty in pink for prom! On Sunday, the former star attended her prom in Georgia, and the pre-prom moment was a family affair. The 17-year-old proudly posed with her mother, Mama June Shannon and her husband, Justin Stroud, giving the camera a full look at her pink dress adorned with sparkling crystals. In another picture, Alana posed with her 21-year-old boyfriend, Dralin Carswell. For the moment, the couple was positioned in front of a white horse-drawn carriage with pink accents to match the theme of the prom princess' look. Following the photo op, the reality TV star and her boyfriend made a grand entrance at the event in the carriage.For her prom, Alana wore a custom pink gown by Miesha.

began on March 20 with several issues that needed to be addressed. At the top of the list was the issue of compensation for streaming TV shows and films and the abuse of mini-rooms in which studios require writers with a TV show pitch to assemble a writers’ room at scale pay to produce scripts before the pitch is even greenlit.More than 9,000 WGA members voted on April 17 to authorize their leaders to order a strike if a deal was not met and a drastic change was not in the future.

William Earl SAG-AFTRA’s national board has lent its support to the WGA as the latter guild buckles down for a last sprint of negotiations next week in the days leading up to the May 1 expiration of film and TV writers’ master contract with Hollywood’s major employers. “SAG-AFTRA stands strongly in support and solidarity with the members of the Writers Guild of America who are engaged in contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. It is long past time for the studios, streamers, and other employers in the entertainment industry to remove roadblocks to fair and equitable wages and working conditions, and to agree to terms that reflect the unique worth and contribution of creative talent and workers, without whom the industry would not exist,” read a resolution passed Saturday by a unanimous vote of SAG-AFTRA’s national board.

SAG-AFTRA’s National Board voted unanimously today to approve a resolution “strongly in support” of the WGA in its ongoing negotiations for a new film and TV contract. “It is long past time for the studios, streamers, and other employers in the entertainment industry to remove roadblocks to fair and equitable wages and working conditions,” the resolution states, “and to agree to terms that reflect the unique worth and contribution of creative talent and workers, without whom the industry would not exist.”

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The DGA reminded its members this week that the union has a “no-strike clause” which will remain in place even if the WGA goes on strike after May 1. The union sent out an email on Tuesday to answer members’ questions about a possible writers’ strike. The DGA contract does not expire until June 30, so the directors cannot go on strike before then. That does not mean that individual directors will be forced to cross picket lines — just that they can be fired for not showing up to work. “Our no-strike clauses are clear,” the union’s leaders said. “However, as an individual, you cannot be forced to work. If you, as an individual, refuse to cross a picket line and perform your DGA-covered services, then your Employer has the right to replace you.”

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Talks between the Writers Guild of America and the AMPTP are expected to resume in earnest this week, with just two weeks left before the May 1 deadline to get a deal. The WGA leadership spent the last week meeting with members to encourage them to vote yes on a strike authorization. The deadline for members to vote is noon on Monday, and the membership is expected to deliver a resounding vote of support, likely in the high 90% range. In communications to members, guild captains urged members to deliver a “very high yes vote turnout” to maximize negotiators’ leverage. They also argued that the studios have been unwilling to budge on the guild’s main issues.

Donald Trump still collects a hefty retirement income from his entertainment-industry past, according to financial disclosure forms that he submitted this week to qualify for the 2024 presidential election.The former president receives between $100,000 and $1 million in yearly pension from the Screen Actor’s Guild. The details were first disclosed on the Citizens for Ethics website on Friday.

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.

SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have agreed to begin formal contract negotiations on June 7. The guild’s current contract expires June 30.

SAG-AFTRA will no longer be the only Hollywood union that leases building space for its headquarters, as the actors guild announced that it has closed a deal for a $46.6 million purchase of a new headquarters in North Hollywood. “After multiple sessions with my executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and CFO Arianna Ozzanto, it was determined that SAG-AFTRA was now in a financially sound position to pursue this goal,” SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher said in a statement. “National secretary-treasurer and finance committee chair Joely Fisher next took the lead in pursuit of a worthwhile real estate investment,” Drescher continued.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer SAG-AFTRA announced Tuesday that it has bought an office building in North Hollywood for $46.6 million and plans to relocate its headquarters there in the next few years. The performers’ union has been renting its headquarters in the Museum Square building in the mid-Wilshire area. In 2015, the guild extended its lease into 2026. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s executive director, said in a statement that the new building will provide more space and better facilities, and that the union will save money over the long run by owning instead of renting. The new building is at 12020 Chandler Blvd., adjacent to a stop on the Orange Line busway and a few blocks from the NoHo Arts District. The building is currently home to Pilgrim Media Group and Screen Engine/ASI.

SAG-AFTRA has bought an office building in the San Fernando Valley for $46.6 million that will serve as its new national headquarters. Located at 12020 Chandler Blvd. in North Hollywood, the property features more than 118,000 square feet of commercial office space and includes the building on 1.22 acres and a nearby 0.71-acre vacant lot.