SAG-AFTRA President calls out AMPTP for ‘disrespectful’ and ‘unfair’ suspension of talks

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher criticised the AMPTP for “walking out” amid negotiations to work out a deal amid the ongoing strikes.

Negotiations between major Hollywood studios and actors came to halt on Wednesday, dubbing the gap between the two sides as “too great” and that “conversations are no longer moving us in a productive direction,” via Variety.

“It really came as a shock to me because what does that exactly mean and why would you walk away from the table? It’s not like we’re asking for anything that’s so outrageous,” Drescher said on the Today show on Friday.

“It’s so wrong. And it’s so unfair that they walked out of the meeting, and so disrespectful … I mean, they talk at you. They really don’t want to hear what you have to say or why you’re saying it.”

SAG-AFTRA has been on strike since July, joining the Writers Guild of America on the picket line, fighting over issues such as compensation and the use of artificial intelligence.

The writers’ strike ended on September 27 but AMPTP has yet to strike a deal with the actors.

SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland told Variety that the studios rejected the union’s request for a 2% share of streaming revenue. So, the actors suggested they instead be paid a set rate per subscriber of all the major streaming platforms.

However, AMPTP rejected the proposal with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos saying “it just felt like a bridge too far to add this deep into the negotiation.”