First time in 60 years! Hollywood screenwriters and actors will join hands to strike： pay dividends later and pay attention to AI reproduction performance.

　　According to The New York Times’s report on July 13th, SAG-AFTRA announced that it had failed to reach a new agreement with AMPTP, which represents the interests of film and television production companies, and decided to strike.

　　Earlier, the American Writers’ Union (WGA) began a strike on May 2. SAG-AFTRA will soon join their camp, which is also after 1960, when actors and screenwriters went on strike again. During the strike, the actors’ union will stop all script, film and TV production under AMPTP.

　　Last month, members of the Actors’ Union voted overwhelmingly by 98%, authorizing the union management to go on strike if no agreement can be reached in the negotiations, and at the same time authorizing the union leaders to "stick it out" in the negotiations with the management.

　　In the latest statement, the Actors’ Union said: "SAG-AFTRA is eager to reach an agreement that fully meets the needs of performers, and the producer’s response to the most important proposal of the Actors’ Union is to insult and disrespect our contribution to this industry. These companies refuse to make meaningful contacts on some topics, while others completely hinder us. "

　　The union also said that after more than four weeks of negotiations, AMPTP is still unwilling to provide a fair deal on key issues that are crucial to the members of the Actors Union. "

　　AMPTP represents Amazon, Apple, Disney, Comcast’s NBC Universal, Netflix, Paramount Universal, Sony and Warner Bros. Discovery and other major film companies and streaming media companies.

　　It is reported that the demands of the actors’ union include "economic fairness, late dividends, standardizing the use of AI, and alleviating the burden of self-recorded audition fees in the whole industry".

　　The core issue is salary and the use of artificial intelligence.

　　The actors’ union believes that the remuneration of actors has "seriously shrunk" in recent years. Under the old system, if a TV series is a great success, actors can expect that there will be a large amount of checks left in their bank accounts in the next few years. Actors believe that in the era of streaming media, cakes become smaller and checks become smaller.

　　"Fundamentally, we are interested in ensuring that our members share the success of the projects they create." Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the chief negotiator of the trade union, pointed out.

　　Actors are also very concerned about artificial intelligence and how to use this technology to replicate their previous performances without paying or consulting them.

　　The strike of the actors’ union means that almost all American TV dramas and movies being filmed will stop shooting. During the strike, hundreds of thousands of actors who joined the trade union were not allowed to shoot any films and TV works, and could not attend any press conference or film premiere.