SAG-AFTRA is about to start a strike effective at midnight PT on July 14, with actors hitting the picket traces shiny and early on Friday morning. However whereas they are going to be making indicators, marching, and making their voices heard round Hollywood studios as early as tomorrow, there’s rather a lot the union is ordering them not to do.
Just like the WGA earlier than it, SAG-AFTRA forward of its strike has issued its formal Strike Guidelines, a memo (obtained by IndieWire) despatched to the guild’s over 160,000 members that outlines the dos and don’ts (primarily don’ts) actors ought to take part in in the event that they wish to present solidarity.
Past any on-camera work, whether or not principal and even background or as a stand-in, actors will even be barred from doing promotional work for something that was made — previous, current, or future — below the phrases of the TV-theatrical agreements. And as lead negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Eire reiterated throughout Thursday’s press convention, that applies to festivals, conventions, panels, social media, podcasts, movie premieres, and extra. The total checklist is beneath.
In order that applies to festivals like Venice or TIFF, subsequent month’s Comedian-Con, and even one thing like “Oppenheimer,” which had its premiere on Thursday proper as SAG-AFTRA ready to announce the strike, prompting the movie’s solid to go away in solidarity earlier than the strike was referred to as. Crabtree-Eire additionally anticipated Emmys campaigns to be coming to an in depth instantly, regardless of nominations being introduced Wednesday.
There are some exceptions, like in case you’re doing an autograph signing, or something that’s not associated to particular struck firms or for tasks made below the agreements, but when actors have any doubts, they need to defer to the union. And the strike guidelines additionally apply to performers working below completely different contracts, together with for New Media and low-budget tasks, however to not these within the industrial house or different areas SAG-AFTRA covers.
SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher on Thursday gave an impassioned speech in regards to the lack of respect she and the negotiating committee felt the AMPTP displayed in talks for safeguarding the livelihood of actors and in portraying working class actors as a key a part of the bigger labor pressure. She additional defined that SAG-AFTRA is just not a strike-happy union and solely resorts to a strike as a final resort, however felt that the companies in cost can not drastically change the enterprise mannequin with out anticipating the contract for staff to drastically evolve as effectively.
“Our coronary heart bleeds that we needed to make this resolution,” she mentioned Thursday. “However we are able to’t not get what these members deserve, as a result of it’s solely going to worsen. That is the place we drew the road within the sand, and it’s a horrible factor to should do, however we had been pressured into it.”
Beneath is the complete checklist of coated companies and performing work that should be withheld in the course of the actors strike, plus language included within the memo offering particular directions to SAG-AFTRA members in addition to language to non-members who might hope to hitch SAG-AFTRA sometime about what work they will do throughout this time.
Principal on digital camera work, corresponding to:
- Appearing
- Singing
- Dancing
- Performing stunts
- Piloting on-camera plane
- Puppeteering
- Efficiency seize or movement seize work
Principal off digital camera work, corresponding to:
- ADR/Looping
- TV Trailers (promos) and Theatrical Trailers
- Voice Appearing
- Singing
- Narration, together with audio descriptive companies besides because the companies could also be coated by one other collective bargaining settlement referred within the Discover to Members Concerning Non-Struck Work
- Stunt coordinating and associated companies
- Background work
- Stand-in work
- Photograph and/or physique doubles
- Fittings, wardrobe exams, and make-up exams
- Rehearsals and digital camera exams
- Scanning
- Interviews and auditions (together with through self-tape)
Promotion of/publicity companies for work below the TV/Theatrical Contracts, corresponding to
- Excursions
- Private appearances
- Interviews
- Conventions
- Fan expos
- Festivals
- On your consideration occasions
- Panels
- Premieres/screenings
- Award reveals
- Junkets
- Podcast appearances
- Social media
- Studio showcases
Negotiating and/or coming into into and/or consenting to:
- An settlement to carry out coated companies sooner or later
- Any new settlement associated to merchandising linked to a coated challenge
- The creation and use of digital replicas, together with by way of the reuse of prior work
Acting on a trailer for a struck manufacturing or different ancillary content material linked to a struck manufacturing
*To make sure compliance with the rule to withhold all coated companies, members who’re additionally
employed in non-performing capacities ought to seek the advice of with SAG-AFTRA by emailing
SAGAFTRAstrike@sagaftra.org. To the extent prohibited below relevant regulation, SAG-AFTRA will
not self-discipline members for purely non-covered work achieved in different non-performing capacities.
Along with the withholding of all coated companies, the next guidelines shall apply for
the length of the strike:
- Members should not cross SAG-AFTRA picket traces, topic to the exceptions outlined in
SAG-AFTRA’s Discover Concerning Non-Struck Work. - Members should instruct their agent and/or different representatives to discontinue
conducting negotiations on their behalf with the studios, streamers and networks for coated companies. - Members should inform SAG-AFTRA of all strikebreaking exercise by emailing
SAGAFTRAstrike@sagaftra.org. - Members are additionally sure by any guidelines or interpretations set forth within the FAQs referring to this Strike Discover and Order. FAQs might be out there shortly at
https://www.sagaftrastrike.org/member-faqs.
NOTICE TO NON-MEMBERS: Any non-member looking for future membership in
SAG-AFTRA who performs coated companies for a struck firm in the course of the strike will
not be admitted into membership in SAG-AFTRA.
