SAG-AFTRA & Studios Negotiations To Continue Friday & Next Week; Talks Proceeding “Calmly”

deadline.com:

SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on just wrapped their second day of renewed talks over a new three-year contract with a plan to meet again on Friday and even further down the line. “SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP met for a full day bargaining session and have concluded,” the parties said in a joint statement tonight. “Negotiations will continue Friday, October 6, with the parties working internally over the weekend, resuming Monday, October 9.” As they did Monday, SAG-AFTRA leadership sat down with studio CEOs and AMPTP boss Carol Lombardi Wednesday to move forward on ending the actors’ strike, which will reach its 85th day tomorrow.

Talks got off to a late start today, one source informs us. “This is senior people sitting down together and the deliberations are going well,” said an industry insider of Wednesday’s negotiations. “Everyone is conducting themselves calmly.” As made clear in their statement just now, the parties intend to meet again at SAG-AFTRA headquarters on the Miracle Mile on Friday, with the CEO Gang of Four anticipated to be in attendance That sit-down will be followed by deliberations among the respective principals themselves over the weekend and a resumption of formal talks between both sides on October 9 — the same day the WGA’s vote on ratifying their tentative agreement with the studios ends.

After nearly five months on strike and five days late last month of final negotiations, that vote is widely expected to pass by an overwhelming majority from the scribes While the sides are still bargaining over several issues, SAG-AFTRA’s proposal of revenue sharing has continued to prove a tricky challenge in this latest round of talks.