“Dancing with the Stars”, from left: Val Chmerkovskiy, Gaby Wende, “First Night Party”
Eric McCandless/Disney+/Courtesy Everett Collection
While the Writers Guild of America continues its sit-in Dancing with the stars drills, SAG-AFTRA says its members in the production are not violating any of its strike rules.
“Our members are showing up Dancing with the stars We operate under a netcode agreement, which is a non-contract. “They are being asked to go to work, they are not violating the SAG-AFTRA strike rules, and we support them in fulfilling their contractual obligations,” the performers union — which has been on strike against major studios and streamers for months over the course of a separate, unresolved film and television contract — said. in a statement Thursday. “The program is a non-drama production of SAG-AFTRA under a separate agreement that is not subject to a strike order issued by the union.”
The union also provided some context about members’ contractual obligations to the show. The union said a “majority” of SAG-AFTRA members participating in the show signed their deals before the strike. The union added that many members had option agreements requiring them to appear on the show if the producer exercised the option, “which the producer did.” SAG-AFTRA has a “no-strike” clause in its collective bargaining agreement, meaning members working under that contract cannot strike covered projects during the term of the deal, she continued.
“By not showing up for work, our artists could be detained in breach of contract and the union is prohibited from advising them not to work,” the union said.
The statement comes just hours after news emerged that ABC may delay the return of the competition show after striking members of the Writers Guild of America picketed rehearsals in recent days. The show, a WGA signatory, returns without its typical WGA writer.
Thursday, Dancing with the stars Cast member Matt Walsh (vice president), a member of both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, announced that he would suspend his participation in the series “until an agreement is reached with [Writers Guild of America]Walsh added: “I was excited to join the bid and did so under the impression that it was not a WGA bid and that it fell under a different agreement. This morning when my union, the WGA, informed me that this constituted a strike action, I walked out of training.
Dancing with the stars, which was initially targeting a September 26 premiere date for its 32nd season, has been subjected to WGA sit-ins during rehearsals since Wednesday. The amazing writers have targeted the stars appearing in this 32nd season, including Walsh, in their tags. The cast for the final season includes Mira Sorvino, Alyson Hannigan, Mauricio Umansky, Jason Mraz, and Xochitl Gomez.
Union efforts with Dancing with the stars It’s similar to the successful lobbying campaign against WGA-signed talk shows that tried to return amid the strike. After the outbreak of WGA sit-ins in front of The Drew Barrymore Show It takes place in New York and the talk Set in Studio City, both shows have paused scheduled returns, as well as Jennifer Hudson Show And Real Time with Bill Maher. (However, Maher specifically said he is postponing resuming his bid now that the WGA and AMPTP are back at the negotiating table.)
Now, it appears that SAG-AFTRA is looking to protect its participating members Dancing with the stars From criticism. In concluding its statement, the union noted that it is fighting against AMPTP member companies during its strike, “not members who are required to go to work every day under other union contracts or personal service agreements.” “We stand with our union brothers across the industry because we also recognize our obligations under federal labor law,” the union added.
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