UK Equity Confederation Prepares for SAG-AFTRA Strike Guidelines – Miscellaneous

The UK Actors Guild is preparing advice for its members as SAG-AFTRA prepares to go on strike on Thursday.

diverse He understands that the union, which has 50,000 members, has agreed to a basic position with its American counterpart. These rules will apply to productions in the UK, and the two groups are working out the finer details.

Equity is asking members to check its website for specific advice at around 8pm UK time on Thursday, which coincides with a press conference for SAG-AFTRA in Los Angeles at noon PST that will officially announce the actors’ strike.

Sources indicate that the UK’s strict union laws prevent widespread displays of solidarity by Equity, which cannot legally call a strike in support of SAG-AFTRA due to restrictive UK legislation.

The London-based organization is the UK’s second largest trade union, representing actors, singers, dancers, designers, directors, stage managers and voice artists, among others. As the profile of British talent in Hollywood has grown over the past decade, so has Equity.

The UK Actors Union has so far remained silent about advising members. This is largely because setting the rules for playing during a strike is an extensive process, steeped in the legalities of a particular jurisdiction. Equity general secretary Paul W. Fleming held meetings in Los Angeles with SAG-AFTRA last month to discuss the union’s common agenda, the executive said. diverse In late June, it was announced that Equity would not “undermine” its US counterpart in any way.

SAG-AFTRA’s contract expired on June 30, but the union extended negotiations with Hollywood’s collective bargaining agent, the Motion Picture and Television Producers Alliance, through July 12. The SAG-AFTRA contract expires on Wednesday evening.

SAG-AFTRA, which represents 160,000 artists, has not gone on strike against film and television companies since 1980. The last time actors and writers went on strike at the same time was in 1960.
The Syndicate is looking for a residual streaming formula that would account for the shows success. The studios were unwilling to disclose their viewing data, leading SAG-AFTRA to suggest they use metrics from Parrot Analytics, a third-party data company.

It’s also seeking regulations on AI use, which would require actors to be paid for any AI-generated use of their likeness, as well as limits on self-recorded auditions and a host of other issues.

In a letter to its members early Thursday, the union highlighted both broadcasting and artificial intelligence as key issues in the negotiations.

Many of these issues affecting American performers have also echoed in the UK. In recent years, concerns about artificial intelligence and self-recorded tests have been rife in Britain. “Frankly, one reads the SAG-AFTRA claim and it’s exactly the same issues we’re discussing with UK producers,” said Fleming. diverse Last month.