A call from Disney CEO Bob Iger to Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland on Saturday, October 21, will launch the long-awaited return to negotiations between the union and Hollywood studios later this week.
During the conversation, Iger expressed the desire of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to renegotiate and finally set a new three-year contract amid the SAG-AFTRA strike that has already lasted for 100 days. .
AMPTP President Carol Lombardini contacted Crabtree-Ireland. Under pressure from members at the bottom and top of the call sheet, the artists’ union reacted quickly and issued a joint press release with the AMPTP on the same day announcing a return to negotiations and postponing its biennial national convention. two days early so that union staff and the negotiating team could get to work, The Hollywood Reporter reported yesterday.
This news comes after a series of top actors’ meetings with both their own union and Hollywood studios that took place over the previous week.
The gatherings included the likes of Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, George Clooney, Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Laura Dern, Scarlett Johansson, Tyler Perry, Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, Meryl Streep, Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon, who They decided to organize and form a united front to find out if the union negotiators were really doing everything possible to reach an agreement that would put an end to this historic event.
These renowned union members held several Zoom meetings with SAG-AFTRA leaders, Crabtree-Ireland, and President Fran Drescher to discuss returning to the table. Some had already held individual conversations with union leaders, but decided to take a step further and work together to try to break the impasse.
According to sources close to the negotiations, before talks broke down, the four executive directors who attended the SAG-AFTRA meetings were taken aback by Drescher’s negotiating style, which involved bringing a doll (a stuffed toy in the shape heart with a smiley face given to him by an 11-year-old fan) and say inspirational Buddhist quotes.
He also alarmed CEOs when he proclaimed, “I don’t care if we’re here for a year” to achieve the union’s goals, sources said, explaining that Drescher uses a “less contentious” negotiation process and sometimes tries to tone it down. in the living room.
Drescher said in a statement: “I do not need to emulate masculine energy to be an effective leader.”
Negotiations are expected to take place again towards the end of this week. /24 HOURS
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2023-10-25 10:07:36
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