SAG-AFTRA Agrees To Federal Mediation With Studios But Won’t Extend Strike Deadline

SAG-AFTRA has agreed to federal mediation in order to break the bargaining deadlock with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, but said that “we are not confident that the employers have any intention of bargaining toward an agreement.”

The deadline for reaching an agreement remains Wednesday at midnight PT.

In a statement, the union said that its negotiating committee “has agreed to the AMPTP’s last-minute request for federal mediation and has reaffirmed the negotiating committee’s dedication to securing a fair deal by the expiration of the extended contract at 11:59 p.m. PT on Wednesday, July 12.

RELATED: Ari Emanuel & Bryan Lourd Offer To Step In To Prevent Actors Strike As Studio CEOs Agree To Bring In Federal Mediators

“We will not be distracted from negotiating in good faith to secure a fair and just deal by the expiration of our agreement. We are committed to the negotiating process and will explore and exhaust every possible opportunity to make a deal, however we are not confident that the employers have any intention of bargaining toward an agreement.”

“Furthermore, we condemn the tactic outlined in today’s inaccurate Variety piece naming the CEOs of several entertainment conglomerates as the force behind the request for mediation; information that was leaked to the press by the CEOs and their ‘anonymous sources’ before our negotiators were even told of the request for mediation. The AMPTP has abused our trust and damaged the respect we have for them in this process. We will not be manipulated by this cynical ploy to engineer an extension when the companies have had more than enough time to make a fair deal.

RELATED: SAG-AFTRA Preparing Picket Signs As Possible Strike Looms

“SAG-AFTRA represents performers. We are here to get a deal that ensures our members can earn a living wage in our expansive industry we help make possible with our work. The AMPTP can make this happen at any time. They know what our members need and when they bring that to the table, we will be listening, but it’s important to know – time is running out.”

SAG-AFTRA entered negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on June 7 with a 98% yes vote on its strike authorization. The contracts were extended on June 30 and now expire at 11:59 p.m. PT on July 12.