The contract between the two sides expired at midnight and the SAG-AFTRA union is expected to join the Writers Guild of America on strike, the first time since 1960 both groups have joined on the picket lines.
SAG-AFTRA's National Board will vote Thursday morning on whether to strike, it was announced in a statement released Thursday.
"The studios and streamers have implemented massive unilateral changes in our industry's business model, while at the same time insisting on keeping our contracts frozen in amber," National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said in a statement, "That's not how you treat a valued, respected partner and essential contributor.
"We will not be distracted from negotiating in good faith to secure a fair and just deal by the expiration of our agreement," according to the union statement. "We are committed to the negotiating process and will explore and exhaust every possible opportunity to make a deal, however we are not confident that the employers have any intention of bargaining toward an agreement."
SAG-AFTRA's contract was initially set to expire on June 30, but the union and the AMPTP agreed to an extension so they could continue talks. The actors union represents about 160,000 performers. The actors' union is focusing on many of the same issues that pushed the Writers Guild of America union to call a strike on May 2, including calls for revised residual formulas for streaming content and protections against the use of artificial intelligence in film and TV production.
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