SAG-AFTRA Says It Will Agree to Federal Mediation But Is Wary Of “Cynical Ploy” By Studios

SAG-AFTRA Agrees to Federal Mediation Amid Studios’ “Cynical Ploy” Concerns.

SAG-AFTRA has agreed to involve a federal mediation agency in its ongoing negotiations with studios and streamers. However, the union has decided not to extend the talks beyond July 12.

In a strongly worded statement released on Tuesday evening, SAG-AFTRA emphasized that the expiration of their agreement would keep them from negotiating in good faith to achieve a fair and just deal. While committed to the negotiating process and open to exploring all possible opportunities for an agreement, the union expressed skepticism regarding the employers’ intentions to bargain toward a resolution.

This announcement followed news of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) request for the services of the Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service, a federal agency responsible for resolving labor disputes. The request came after high-level executives, including Ted Sarandos from Netflix, David Zaslav from Warner Bros.-Discovery, and Dana Walden and Alan Bergman from Disney Entertainment, discussed the possibility of federal intervention during calls on Monday, as confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter. The request was a last-minute effort to salvage or extend the negotiations.

However, SAG-AFTRA dampened the optimistic tone earlier in the day, dismissing what the CEOs and their anonymous sources perceived as a deliberate leak to Variety before their negotiators were even informed of the mediation request. The union criticized the AMPTP for breaching their trust and undermining their respect in the negotiation process, considering it a cynical ploy to engineer an extension when the companies had ample time to reach a fair agreement.

With the expiration date of the TV/theatrical contracts approaching on Wednesday at 11:59 p.m., SAG-AFTRA possesses a strike authorization vote that could potentially lead to a strike as early as Thursday. The union reiterated this pressing deadline in its Tuesday statement, emphasizing that time is running out.

Since June 7, the two parties have been working on a new three-year contract covering approximately 160,000 union members. On June 30, the union’s TV/theatrical negotiating committee deemed the timeline extension necessary to exhaust all opportunities for a fair and just contract.

It aligns with SAG-AFTRA’s preparations for a potential strike. On Monday, top SAG-AFTRA leaders met with PR firms and agents to discuss the possible implications and guidelines for a strike. An agent on the call, SAG-AFTRA leaders, did not speak in hypothetical terms regarding the potential strike.