‘At Some Point, the Jig Is Up’: SAG-AFTRA Officially Announce Strike Alongside WGA Writers

“At some point, the jig is up.” Those words were just a small portion of the impassioned speech SAG-AFTRA National President Fran Drescher gave during a press conference on Thursday as she and the Chair of Negotiating Committee Duncan Crabtree-Ireland announced that their labor union—which represents over 160,00 actors, artists, etc.—will be going on strike alongside the WGA (Writer’s Guild of America).

This was decision that the union did not come approach lightly, according to Crabtree-Ireland, explaining how after four weeks of negotiations, the two parties could not reach a “fair deal on key issues.” As a result, the strike is set to start at midnight on Friday with plans for folks to be on the picket lines later that same day.

“Actors deserve a contract that reflect the changes taking place in the industry” he said, later adding: “A strike is an instrument of last resort.”

“The eyes of the world and particularly the eyes of labor are on us,” said Drescher. “Whats happening to us is happening to all fields of labor. We have a problem and we are experiencing that right at this moment. This is a very seminal hour for us.”

Acknowledging the impact of the strike on both people across this country and abroad, Drescher went on to say that although the union and the people it represents were being “victimized by a very greedy entity,” they’re pressing on in this fight with the support of other labor unions.

“It came with great sadness that we came to this crossroads, but we had no choice. We are the victims here. We are being victimized by a very greedy entity,” she said before later adding: “It is disgusting, shame on them. They stand on the wrong side of history at this very moment. Our union and our sister unions, and the unions around the world are standing by us. As well as other labor unions. Because at some point the jig is up.”

When pressed on whether or not SAG-AFTRA would be willing to come back to the table for more talks during a Q&A following the conference, Dreshcer said: “We’re open to talkng to them tonight, but—all of this is because of their behavior. It’s up to them if they’re willing to talk in a normal way.

Added Crabtree-Ireland, “They know what it will take to make a deal...it’s not uncivilized to go on strike.”

In response to the official call for the strike, the AMPTP said in a memo to Deadline:

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.

In the aftermath of the conference, per Deadline, the Actors’ Equity Association—the labor union that represents stage theater actors and stage managers—released a statement in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA saying: “Nobody should step in front of a camera fearing that today’s work will be mined, manipulated or repurposed in the future without consent or compensation.”