Hollywood Studio Execs Plan to Starve Out Striking Writers: Report
Hollywood studio executives are rattling their sabres as negotiations with the actors union, SAG-AFTRA, near their deadline. Their latest tactic? According to a new report from Deadline, they’re threatening to starve striking workers out—and not metaphorically. As one anonymous exec told the trade publication, “The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses.”
Wednesday marks a strange day for the entertainment industry. Emmy nominations were announced in the morning, while the actors union’s negotiation deadline looms later in the evening, which could trigger a strike.
Last month, 97.91 percent of 65,000 SAG-AFTRA members who cast a ballot voted to approve a walkout. At a recent meeting, the union briefed publicists on strike rules, which will bar actors from both acting and promotional work—be that through press junkets, premieres, fan conventions, or social media.