Current:Home > FinanceGeorge Clooney, other A-listers offer over $150 million in higher union dues to end actors strike-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
George Clooney, other A-listers offer over $150 million in higher union dues to end actors strike
View Date:2024-12-23 15:35:07
George Clooney and other stars who are among the top earners in Hollywood have made a groundbreaking proposal to end the actors strike, which has dragged on for nearly 100 days.
Clooney along with Ben Affleck, Emma Stone, Scarlett Johansson and Tyler Perry met with the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) union to suggest eliminating a $1 million cap on union membership dues so that the highest-earners in the business can contribute more, Deadline first reported.
"A lot of the top earners want to be part of the solution," Clooney, a two-time Oscar winner, told Deadline. "We've offered to remove the cap on dues, which would bring over $50 million to the union annually. Well over $150 million over the next three years. We think it's fair for us to pay more into the union."
- SAG-AFTRA asks striking actors to avoid certain popular characters as Halloween costumes
- Talks aimed at ending actors strike break down amid acrimony
- Late-night talk shows coming back after going dark for 5 months due of writers strike
The funds would go toward providing health benefits for members. The stars also proposed reformulating how actors earn streaming residuals.
The offer would prioritize paying the lowest-earners first, Clooney said, according to the Deadline report.
Nice offer, but it wouldn't change anything
SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher responded to the unprecedented offer on Instagram, thanking Clooney and the other A-listers for the proposal.
She called the offer "generous" but warned that it "does not impact the contract that we're striking over whatsoever."
"We are a federally regulated labor union and the only contributions that can go into our pension and health plans must be from the employer," Drescher said. "So what we are fighting for in terms of benefits has to remain in this contract."
The union is still waiting for the "CEOs to return to the table so we can continue our talks."
She called out studio heads for avoiding addressing what she called "flaws" in the current residual compensation model.
"Sometimes in life when you introduce an unprecedented business model like they did on all of my members with streaming, an unprecedented compensation structure must also go along with it," Drescher said. "It may not be easy, it may not be what they want, but it is an elegant way to solve the problem so we can all go back to work in what would become the new normal."
Union dues subject to federal and state laws
The SAG-AFTRA television and theatrical negotiating committee also responded to the proposal in a letter to members Thursday.
"We're grateful that a few of our most successful members have engaged to offer ideas and support," the letter read.
The concept of the stars raising their own dues "is worthy of consideration, but it is in no way related to and would have no bearing on this present contract or even as a subject of collective bargaining," it continued. "It is, in fact, prohibited by Federal labor law. For example, our Pension and Health plans are funded exclusively from employer contributions. It also doesn't speak to the scale of the overall package."
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Review: 'Emilia Pérez' is the most wildly original film you'll see in 2024
- Manhattan diamond dealer charged in scheme to swap real diamonds for fakes
- Wood pellets boomed in the US South. Climate activists want Biden to stop boosting industry growth
- Why does Greece go first at the Olympics? What to know about parade of nations tradition
- Father sought in Amber Alert killed by officer, daughter unharmed after police chase in Ohio
- Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Charly Barby & Kelly Villares Have Emotional Reaction to Finally Making Team
- Prince Harry 'won't bring my wife back' to the UK over safety concerns due to tabloids
- Which NFL teams will crash playoff party? Ranking 18 candidates by likelihood
- We Can Tell You How to Get to Sesame Street—and Even More Secrets About the Beloved Show
- Site of 3 killings during 1967 Detroit riot to receive historic marker
Ranking
- Katherine Schwarzenegger Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 3 With Chris Pratt
- What’s in a name? GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance has had many of them
- 2024 Paris Olympics: See the Athletes’ Most Emotional Moments
- Site of 3 killings during 1967 Detroit riot to receive historic marker
- Burger King's 'Million Dollar Whopper' finalists: How to try and vote on your favorite
- Will Lionel Messi play for Inter Miami during Leagues Cup? Here's what we know
- Proof That Sandra Bullock's Style Has Always Been Practically Magic
- Wisconsin DNR says emerald ash borer find in Burnett County means beetle has spread across state
Recommendation
-
Princess Kate makes rare public appearance after completing cancer chemo
-
Canada Olympics drone scandal, explained: Why women's national team coach is out in Paris
-
Simone Biles will attempt a new gymnastics skill on uneven bars at Olympics. What to know
-
MLB trade deadline: Six deals that make sense for contenders
-
Veterans Day restaurant deals 2024: More than 80 discounts, including free meals
-
Senate kickstarts effort to protect kids online, curb content on violence, bullying and drug use
-
Taco Bell is celebrating Baja Blast's 20th anniversary with freebies and Stanley Cups
-
Climate Change Contributes to Shift in Lake Erie’s Harmful Algal Blooms