Although it was initially believed that the acotrs and writers guild reached an agreement with studios over fundamental differences, the reality is that the strike is still ongoing. Last Tuesday, there was another Zoom call that was destined to figure out how to reach an agreement with actors as they demand revenue from streamers. SAG-AFTRA leaders were presented with a proposal from some of Hollywood’s biggest named, led by actor George Clooney. This proposal amounts to the town’s biggest earners who are proposing to defray the costs to AMPTP signatories by eliminating the cap on membership dues. This amount that goes up to $150 million is supposed to be destined to bolster health benefits and other areas that SAG-AFTRA has been trying to shore up in their demands.

For how long will this proposal last?

According to Deadline, this proposal was brought to the negotiating table on Wednesday evening. While the Hollywood life appears glamorous due to the life the top earners lead, the reality is that the larger percentage of all workers from both guilds struggle to make ends meet. That’s the main reason the strike is taking place but the top earners have always supported the strike.

As a way to offer their support in a more meaningful way, the biggest names in show business have decided to step up and put their money to a better cause. George Clooney is only one of the many names that are involved in this new proposal. Alongside him, we have stars like Ben Affleck, Scarlett Johanson, Emma Stone, and Tyler Perry, who met with SAG leaders Fran Drescher and Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.

Clooney’s proposal is unrelated to the contracts

Clooney spoke to the folks at Deadline to explain what they are trying to achieve with this new proposal.Despite the efforts from these actors, the initial reports suggest that the proposal didn’t go well. Fran Drescher explained that despite these efforst she felt profoundly grateful for, the issue is that this money is not part of the contract SAG-AFTRA is fighting for. She compared the two cases to apples and oranges.

Here’s what George Clooney said before Fran Drescher’s response: “A lot of the top earners want to be part of the solution. 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.”