Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1506201
sagaftra.org | Summer 2023 | SAG-AFTRA 19 Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). When the final tally came in on the evening of June 5, nearly 98% of voting SAG-AFTRA members approved the strike authorization referendum with a historic 64,000 votes cast — a far cry from the "militant minority" characterized by a Variety article published July 11. This historic turnout granted SAG-AFTRA's negotiators much-needed leverage within the walls of AMPTP headquarters in Sherman Oaks. Still, the producers' team remained steadfast in their refusal to acknowledge the enormous shifts the industry has experienced over the past decade and stayed unwilling to comprehend how corporate greed has had such a detrimental impact on the lives of those who perform labor for the studios. Since 2020, while multibillion-dollar corporations have enjoyed immense profits, inflation and new distribution models have eroded the income of middle-class, working actors — individuals who have also borne the burden of casting costs now that self-taped auditions are the industry norm. Compounding these inequities is the threat of generative AI technology. If allowed to remain unchecked, this technology could potentially destroy acting jobs while delivering lower-quality performances to audiences. The union's membership made it clear: Without a transformative change in SAG-AFTRA's current contract with the AMPTP, the acting profession won't SAG-AFTRA members make some noise outside NBCUniversal on Aug. 4. AS WE WENT TO PRESS … The SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes continue as this issue went to press. For updates and developments, visit sagaftrastrike.org. Bob Odenkirk pickets with other SAG-AFTRA members at Warner Bros.