Recently, the SAG-AFTRA Union has started negotiations. SAG-AFTRA is the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. July 14, 2023, was the start of the SAG strike. All SAG-affiliated actors and actresses have been out of TV/theatrical contracted work. Celebrities on their hiatus can be found at the picket lines or out of the eye of the media. On October 12th, 2023, the corporations pulled out of negotiations, but corporations agreed to continue negotiations almost two weeks later.
“As we mark the 100th day of our strike, we are pleased to confirm the company executives have asked us to return to the table. Official negotiations will resume on Tuesday, October 24th,” the SAG-AFTRA Instagram account captioned under their post, reminding SAG-AFTRA members to support the strike and to stay hopeful.
There may be TV shows and movies still being released but with much less press coverage since the strike. The reason why there is less press coverage is that the leading stars can not advertise their projects online. There are some exceptions for who can post and who can not. There are films with SAG strike agreements, which allow their stars to advertise their films and to go to the premieres.
Jacob Elordi is playing Elvis in an upcoming film, and fans of him may not know why he is allowed to post about his movie. The film “Priscilla” has the SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement, which allows its cast to do press tours and to attend the Venice Film Festival. Along with “Priscilla”, the new Hunger Games prequel, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” has received a SAG-Interim agreement. Films are being allowed to have press tours and red-carpet events, but as the strike continues, the more production companies will lose.
“I am so beyond thankful to @lionsgate and @sagaftra for working so hard throughout this strike to come to an agreement, allowing us to participate in press and promotion for our film, which comes to theaters on november [sic] 17,” Rachel Zegler, the star of “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” captioned her Instagram post.
Many productions are not as lucky to receive the interim agreement, which means that all production for films and TV shows has come to a complete halt. This can be frustrating for fans of shows that have been stopped. Actors and actresses have been warned not to dress as characters from SAG-stricken projects. The everyday subscribers and the performers are facing consequences from the corporations delaying an agreement with SAG-AFTRA.
The general public can help SAG members by donating to the SAG members in need, to help them make ends meet. The strike uncovered the unfair wages earned by actors and actresses in popular television shows. While A-listers are well off, many performers are harmed by the production companies and their mistreatment of their employees. Right now, the waiting game will continue, until the corporations agree to the terms SAG-AFTRA has proposed.
