Hollywood actors join writers on strike, halting production

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The union representing Hollywood actors officially announced a strike on Thursday over wages, the use of artificial intelligence and profits from digital streaming, joining more than 11,000 already striking film and television writers.

The strike by the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), which will mark the first Hollywood shutdown in 63 years, will begin at midnight.

The strike came as SAG-AFTRA was unable to reach a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Among the issues they negotiated were improving wages and working conditions. They also focused on the use of artificial intelligence in future productions. The union is also demanding transparency on how to divide the profits from digital streaming.

"The eyes of the world and, particularly, the eyes of labor are upon us,” Fran Drescher, the president of SAG-AFTRA, said at a news conference.

“What happens to us is important. What’s happening to us is happening across all fields of labor. When employers make Wall Street and greed their priority and they forget about the essential contributors who make the machine run, we have a problem," she said.

“You cannot change the business model as much as it has changed and not expect the contract to change too,” Drescher said.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA), the union representing 11,500 writers of film and television, went on strike on May 2, which halted production of many shows and movies.

Most of Hollywood’s film and TV production is expected to be disrupted by the strikes.