Disney CEO Bob Iger Says Writers and Actors Are Not Being ‘Realistic’ with Strikes, Saying It's 'Very Disturbing to Me'

Disney CEO Bob Iger recently appeared on CNBC’s Squawk Box and talked about the current state of the writers and actors unions as they go on strike in Hollywood and he says that they’re not being “realistic” with their expectations. With the actors about to join the writers in a strike, Iger said:

“It’s very disturbing to me. We’ve talked about disruptive forces on this business and all the challenges we’re facing, the recovery from COVID which is ongoing, it’s not completely back. This is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption. I understand any labor organization’s desire to work on behalf of its members to get the most compensation and be compensated fairly based on the value that they deliver. We managed, as an industry, to negotiate a very good deal with the directors guild that reflects the value that the directors contribute to this great business. We wanted to do the same thing with the writers, and we’d like to do the same thing with the actors. There’s a level of expectation that they have, that is just not realistic. And they are adding to the set of the challenges that this business is already facing that is, quite frankly, very disruptive.”

As you might imagine, there’s a lot of frustration on both sides right now. The actors union contract talks ended late Wednesday night without a resolution. Their strike will effectively halt all scripted film and TV production. SAG-AFTRA has not gone on strike in over four decades, and the last time both the actors and writer’ unions were striking concurrently was in 1960.

Iger went on to say that while he respects the right of the unions to “get as much as they possibly can in compensation for their people,” they must “be realistic about the business environment, and what this business can deliver.” He continued:

“It will have a very, very damaging affect on the whole business, and unfortunately, there’s huge collateral damage in the industry to people who are supportive services, and I could go on and on. It will affect the economy of different regions, even, because of the sheer size of the business. It’s a shame, it is really a shame.”

He’s not wrong, so hopefully they will be able to figure things out and come to some kind of compromise that both sides can live with. It doesn’t look like that’s going to happen anytime soon though.

Via: Variety