SAG AFTRA Explains Why Clooney's Strike-Ending Plan Isn't Viable

Renowned actors including George Clooney, Ben Affleck, Scarlett Johannson, Tyler Perry and Emma Stone made an attempt to end the SAG-AFTRA strike with a $150 million proposal which ultimately got rejected. The actors suggested alleviating the membership dues cap which currently sits at $1 million. They anticipated that this would allow higher income to flow directly into SAG-AFTRA from its peak earners, potentially benefitting areas such as health and pension funds. "A lot of the top earners want to be part of the solution," Clooney disclosed to Deadline, elaborating on additional details such as introducing a bottom-up residual structure.

Despite the magnanimity of the offer, the guild declined it and SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher asserted that it has no bearing on the current contract negotiations and might be legally inadmissible. "We are a federally regulated labor union, and the only contributions that can go into our pension and health funds must be from the employer. So what we are fighting for in terms of benefits has to remain in this contract," explained Drescher.

Apart from the A-list proposal, SAG-AFTRA also addressed industry CEOs' concerns about their proposed revenue/subscription streaming model. The actors' guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed in their negotiations on Oct. 11. Netflix's co-CEO, Ted Sarandos, brought up SAG-AFTRA's forthwith proposal, explaining that they had left the talks over a 'levy' that would involve sharing 2% of subscription revenue with the guild. This led to an adjustment from the guild, dropping the rate to 1% in order to accommodate their concerns.

No further negotiations have taken place since the breakdown in talks earlier this month. While the WGA strike has ended, allowing work on film and TV scripts to continue, the main production segment is still at a standstill with actors on the strike lines.