Carol Badaracco Padgett, Senior Writer
Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland joined local SAG-AFTRA President Eric Goins on October 16, 2023, at the Teamsters Local Union 728 in Atlanta to talk with membership and guests about the state of the strike between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents the major motion picture studios.
Just last week, on October 11, 2023, negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP ended abruptly when, as CBS News reported at cbsnews.com, talks were suspended when the latest offer from the studios was worse than the one proposed before the strike began.
Goins’ major message to his Atlanta audience at this week’s strike rally was to remain resilient and to stand in solidarity.
“Your value hasn’t changed,” Goins stated. “We are as strong as day one.”
Goins also encouraged those affected by the strike to seek mental health aid, if needed, while a screen behind the acting president contained a QR code for members in need of emergency financial assistance.
For his part, Crabtree-Ireland, also the lead negotiator for SAG-AFTRA, said, ”The length of the strikes has hit hard. But we’ll have a better future together. I believe the CEOs will come back to the table soon and make a fair deal.”
Crabtree-Ireland added, “I don’t yet have a date.”
He also noted, “No one has forgotten about the issue of geographic discrimination [that impacts Georgians in the film industry]. We know. We hear you.”
Crabtree-Ireland, Goins and actor Mike Pniewski, former president of the SAG-AFTRA Atlanta chapter, then shared the stage to field questions from membership in attendance.
On Tuesday, October 18, 2023, Variety reported that the strike hangs on a $480 million gap between actors and studios on streaming pay. A central topic, streaming residuals factored heavily into the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike that ended on September 27, 2023, where the WGA secured a bonus for the most-watched shows made for streaming.
Variety’s report, by Gene Maddaus, conceded, “The two sides are at odds on other issues as well, including artificial intelligence and increases in minimum rates.”
