George Clooney and Other Prominent Actors Offer To Pay Higher Annual Membership Dues To End The Ongoing SAG-AFTRA Strike

George Clooney, Tyler Perry, and several other top-tier actors have put forth a substantial proposal aimed at assisting in the resolution of the extended strike affecting actors for several months.

Following a virtual meeting via Zoom with SAG-AFTRA union leadership on Tuesday, Clooney and over a dozen other well-known and high-earning members suggested adjustments. These proposals encompassed the removal of a $1 million limit on membership dues, aiming to facilitate progress in contract negotiations with major studios.

“A lot of the top earners want to be part of the solution,” Clooney said. “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. We also are suggesting a bottom-up residual structure. Meaning the top of the call sheet would be the last to collect residuals, not the first. These negotiations will be ongoing. But we wanted to show that we’re all in this together and find ways to help close the gap on actors getting paid.”

These modifications would lead to higher-earning individuals contributing substantially more in annual membership fees, which could in turn enhance the union’s financial resources for healthcare benefits. This proposal follows roughly a week after the studios withdrew from negotiations with the union.

Contract negotiations reached an impasse on October 11th, prompting the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to suspend discussions, citing a lack of progress in a productive direction. The negotiations between the studios and SAG-AFTRA revolve around issues such as revenue sharing and policies regarding the use of artificial intelligence, among other matters.

The strike has been ongoing since July 14.