George Clooney & Other A-Listers’ Residuals & Dues Proposals “A Gesture Of Goodwill,” SAG-AFTRA Exec Says

deadline.com:

A plan put forth this week to SAG-AFTRA by George Clooney and other big stars to potentially kick start stalled negotiations with the studios is “worthy of review and consideration,” says the union’s chief negotiator. “We’re with you, we’re behind you,” Duncan Crabtree-Ireland told Deadline today of his takeaway on the ideas and sentiment from the Oscar winner and others. “We just want to do whatever we can do to help, and I think someone wanting to help is not someone wanting to undermine.” On Tuesday, as Deadline exclusively reported, Clooney, Emma Stone, Ben Affleck, Tyler Perry Scarlett Johansson and other A-listers met with guild brass to discuss the state of the strike and the lack of talks with the studios.

In the Zoom gathering, as Clooney himself confirmed to Deadline exclusively today, the A-listers stressed to union president Fran Drescher and Crabtree-Ireland that “a lot of the top earners want to be part of the solution.” SAG-AFTRA has been out on strike for 98 days so far, with no new talks with the studios and the streamers scheduled at present.

However, Crabtree-Ireland said today that a new contract is “definitely possible.” He added: So long as everyone gets back to the table, and does so with the mindset of let’s find this path to a fair deal.” In the desire for that fair deal, the A-listers had some specifics to put on the table for the guild to consider. “We’ve offered to remove the cap on dues, which would bring over $50 million to the union annually,’ two-time Oscar winner Clooney explained of the stars’ suggestions to move the situation back to the bargaining table. “Well over $150 million over the next three years.