Hollywood is striking back—literally.
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) will be joining the Writers Guild of America (WGA) on the picket line at midnight July 14 after failing to agree on a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher announced plans to strike on July 13, after the union voted unanimously to recommend the actors to strike against the film and television studios. This will be the first time the union has gone on strike since 1980.
“It came with great sadness that we came to this crossroads, but we have no choice,” she said at a press conference. “We are the victims here. We are being victimized by a greedy entity.”
The Nanny actress also told reporters that the union—which failed to reach an agreement with AMPTP when their contract expired on July 12—went into negotiations “in earnest, thinking we would avert a strike.”
“At some point, the jig is up,” she continued. “You cannot keep being dwindled and marginalized and disrespected and dishonored.”
Drescher noted that “the gravity of this move is not lost on me,” adding, “But at some point, you have to say no. We’re not going to take this anymore.”