SAG-AFTRA says its interim agreements are key to surviving the strike

On Sunday night, SAG-AFTRA posted a prolonged assertion to its web site explaining what its interim agreements are and the way they’re being handed out to over 100 different indie projects, like The Chosen, will not be at odds with the strike as a result of these productions aren’t instantly related to the Alliance of Movement Image and Tv Producers. Along with stressing that it’s nonetheless very a lot putting towards the AMPTP, SAG-AFTRA additionally insisted that the interim agreements aren’t “waivers” however reasonably legally binding contracts that adhere to the exact same labor phrases the union is pushing the studios to agree upon.

“It behooves us to make this strategic transfer,” the union stated. “The Interim Settlement offers a lot of our journeyman performers and crews the chance to pay their hire and feed their households. This strategy maintains our power, solidarity and higher hand with the AMPTP till they yield to the deal we deserve.”

For unbiased initiatives to efficiently safe certainly one of SAG-AFTRA’s interim agreements in the course of the strike, the manufacturing outfits behind them can’t be part of the AMPTP — the commerce affiliation that represents basically all the leisure business’s large studios. Moreover, productions that obtain interim agreements should routinely conform to all the calls for SAG-AFTRA is making of the AMPTP, together with important will increase to wage minimums and reducing actors in on 2 p.c of the streaming income for initiatives that in the end find yourself on providers like Netflix and Amazon Prime.

In its assertion, SAG-AFTRA acknowledged the priority that its interim agreements might “produce content material for struck corporations to distribute” however expressed confidence that provisions like the brand new income sharing mannequin “will make distribution of those initiatives by way of AMPTP platforms unfeasible.”

“Some have prompt that the Interim Settlement may extend the strike, however we disagree,” the union stated. “We imagine the leverage created by growing aggressive stress on the AMPTP and denying them what they need most will pressure them again to the desk and assist convey this strike to an finish.”