What is the matter of Hollywood actors strike and when will it end?

The Hollywood actor’s strike is the latest major incident which started on July 14 this year. Many celebrities have participated in this strike. Actors began a strike over their salaries and other issues. The increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) was also an important issue that was raised by him. The writers’ strike was initiated in May and ended contract negotiations proposed by the studio. There were also reports of the studio offering such talks to the actors, but the actors’ union rejected it. They were vocal about their frustrations and wanted to strongly raise their issues with the studio.

The writers’ strike ended abruptly after the studio offered to negotiate for five days. But the strike of the Actors’ Association could not be ended so easily. This is still an ongoing strike and it seems that it will not end soon. On October 2, SAG-AFTRA recently resumed negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). AMPTP represents studios, production companies and streaming services. streaming of many News and Movies Work has come to a halt due to the ongoing strike by Hollywood actors.

What is the latest update?

According to reports, there has been an unbridgeable gap in communication between the actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, and AMPTP representatives on the studio’s end. According to AMPTP’s claims, there would be an additional economic burden of $800 million per year if the actors’ union’s claims are met. SAG-AFTRA counter-claimed that the figure was a 60% inflated estimate. He also claimed that AMPTP started violating the decorum of the settlement meeting.

The actor’s union has cited several serious claims and clauses in the strike, such as price hikes for streaming services and the control of their images by artificial intelligence. One of them even said, “We ask for a small share of their huge revenue generated because of our work.” The demand for salary increase is serious in view of rising prices due to inflation.

The writer’s strike gained momentum and then stopped just after the agreement came into force. The Writers’ Association voted unanimously in favor of the settlement decisions. However, due to the ongoing actors’ strike, it is impossible to continue work without the actors and other technicians. Many projects have come to a halt due to the strike. But the recent situation between the actors’ union and the studio union shows bleak hopes for a rapid improvement.

Who is supporting this strike?

Several celebrities have been vocal about SAG-AFTRA’s claims. Celebrities like Jack Black, Jessica Chastain, Edward James Olmos, jennifer coolidge, Daniel Radcliffe, Jeremy Allen White, Brian Cox, Lisa Ann Walter, Billy Porter, and others are some of them. Drew Barrymore faced severe backlash after announcing the return of her show during the writer’s strike and writers refused to return to work with her. The actors are concerned that unlike the writers’ union strike, many celebrities are not coming to the strike.

What could be the consequences of this strike?

Many big budget films have been stopped and actors are not willing to work until their demands are met. The strike may hamper the 2023 Christmas release. The films which were scheduled to release in 2024 may be delayed by an entire year. There remains uncertainty regarding the outcome of the strike. This depends on the extent of communication and understanding between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP.

Whether the strike will be successful depends on the negotiations proposed by AMPTP. Considering SAG-AFTRA’s recent claims, they will not back down from their demands without a viable resolution to their claims. The offer for talks made by AMPTP on 2 October has been termed as ‘intimidation tactics’ to quash the strike. Amidst all this, there is a big uncertainty regarding streaming of news and movies And 2023 Christmas and 2024 New Year releases, and are estimated to continue through late ’24.