SAG-AFTRA strike expected to impact New York
NEW YORK -- SAG-AFTRA is officially on strike, which means production on movies and TV shows will immediately come to a halt as a result.
The strike is expected to have a big impact in New York.
SAG-AFTRA has joined the Writers Guild of America on the picket line after negotiations with Hollywood studios did not result in an agreement.
"It came with great sadness that we came to this crossroads, but we had no choice," SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said.
The WGA has been on strike since May.
Both unions are fighting for similar causes: more base pay, more residual pay for streaming service content, as well as legal assurances based around the use of artificial intelligence.
"The industry has changed drastically over the years, and streaming is so heavy right now," actor Abraham Lim said. "We don't want to be replaced by AI. And even though that sounds like a very far-fetched idea, we see it."
"It's challenging. Creative workers are in a tough spot right now with the changing models for streaming and the economic crisis and this ongoing growing quickly moving existential threat of artificial intelligence," said Katie Chambers, with New York Women in Film & Television.
Comedian and writer Zhubin Parang says the last double strike with SAG-AFTRA and the WGA led to substantial changes.
"The last time both of our unions went on strike together, we ended up getting landmark provisions that we still use today. Our pension and health plans are from our previous double strike," he said.
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Just like every professional production house across the country, Silvercup Studios in Queens, where countless TV shows and movies have been shot, will now be dormant.
"Yesterday I was on set, so it was the last day to be on set, and then now we're on strike," actor Dario Sanchez said.
Negotiating for the studios is the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. They released the following statement:
"AMPTP member companies entered the negotiations with SAG-AFTRA with the goal of forging a new, mutually beneficial contract. The AMPTP presented a deal that offered historic pay and residual increases, substantially higher caps on pension and health contributions, audition protections, shortened series option periods, and a groundbreaking AI proposal that protects actors' digital likenesses for SAG-AFTRA members. A strike is certainly not the outcome we hoped for as studios cannot operate without the performers that bring our TV shows and films to life. The Union has regrettably chosen a path that will lead to financial hardship for countless thousands of people who depend on the industry."
With so many affected from different levels, Disney CEO Bob Iger is standing firm.
"There's a level of expectation that they have that is just not realistic, and they are adding to a set of challenges that this business is already facing," he said.
"We shut down our entire business," said David Perry, co-owner of Marshark Craft, based in Astoria, Queens.
Catering for TV and film productions is his livelihood.
"We have four full-time warehouse employees who have all gone on unemployment. And we also have about 35 to maybe up to 50 employees ... They're all unemployed," Perry said.
Lim lives in Astoria himself, and he says he's aware of the financial burdens a work stoppage will bring.
"We all want to go back to work. But at the same time, again, I think we have the strength, and I think we're being underestimated by a lot of these executives. I think we're really, really strong people and formidable, and I think we're ready to see this through," he said.
A spokesperson for City Hall sent CBS New York the following statement regarding the strike:
"The film and television industry serves as a vibrant pillar of New York City's culture and economy, contributing 6.5 percent to the city's gross domestic product and providing employment to more than 185,000 talented New Yorkers. It is essential that both parties find an effective balance that allows workers to be paid a fair wage and the industry to continue to thrive and create opportunities for good jobs. We recommend both parties remain at the bargaining table to reach a voluntary agreement, so that our city can continue to thrive as a vibrant hub for film and television production."
Depending on how long this strike lasts, it could mean no new content and lots of repeats for viewers at home in the coming months.