SAG-AFTRA leaders painted a sunny picture of their ongoing negotiations in a video released over the weekend, saying the talks have been “extremely productive” and promising to reach a “seminal deal.” But according to multiple sources with knowledge of the dynamic in the negotiating room, the sides remain far apart on a range of key issues.
With just a few days left before SAG-AFTRA’s current contract expires on Friday, some are privately predicting that talks will be extended beyond the June 30 deadline, though such a move has not formally been broached in the negotiating room with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
Fran Drescher, the SAG-AFTRA president, is leading the union’s contract negotiations for the first time along with Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s executive director and chief negotiator.
In the room, Drescher has been the more outspoken of the two, arguing that the studios have broken the traditional business model and need to make wholesale changes to the contract.
Read more on variety.com