SAG-AFTRA, studios set to meet again Thursday, following discussion of counterproposal on AI

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Thursday, November 2, 2023
SAG-AFTRA, studios set to meet again Thursday
Negotiators representing the striking actors' union and studios are expected to meet again, one day after they met for more than three hours in a session the entertainment trade newspaper Variety described as productive.

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Negotiation talks between the Hollywood actors' union and major studios are expected to continue Thursday, and there appears to be some real movement in negotiations.

On Wednesday, both sides met for more than three hours to discuss the studios' counterproposal on artificial intelligence.

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists said it presented a revised proposal to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, and it is now waiting for a response.

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA's national executive director and chief negotiator, said no timetable for a deal is in place.

"It could be sometime in the coming days or weeks -- yeah, it could be, but it all depends on the companies coming forward and making moves that let us reach that deal," he said on a picket line Wednesday. "We're working every day to accomplish that, so I hope it's really soon."

Food distribution events and other efforts are underway to help truck drivers, mechanics and others impacted by the Hollywood strike who aren't in the actors union.

Striking SAG-AFTRA actors also marched Wednesday outside Disney studios in Burbank.

Industry experts say time is becoming a factor, as studios look to salvage the remainder of television's fall season.

The union's other demands include general wage increases, boosts in compensation for successful streaming programs and improvements in health and retirement benefits.