Movies

Hollywood Actors Authorize Strike Amid Writers Walkout

IT’S A WRAP

The on-screen talent want better pay and protections against their images being used in AI.

Workers and supporters of the Writers Guild of America protest outside Universal Studios Hollywood after union negotiators called a strike for film and television writers, in the Universal City area of Los Angeles, California, U.S., May 3, 2023.
Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

Hollywood actors on Monday voted overwhelmingly to strike if their contract negotiations with major studios and production companies fail. Almost 65,000 members of SAG-AFTRA—Hollywood’s largest union—voted on the matter, with 97.91 percent of ballots cast in favor of strike action. “Bravo SAG-AFTRA. We are in it to win it,” Fran Drescher, the president of the union, said in a statement after the vote. The actors are currently negotiating to receive better pay and protections against their images being used through artificial intelligence (AI) without their authorization. Strike action could now be launched if they don’t agree on a new deal by June 30, when their current deal expires. The actors’ decision to approve industrial action comes a month after thousands of TV and film writers in the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike demanding higher pay, residuals, and staffing requirements.

Read it at Reuters