SAG-AFTRA discourages members from dressing up as characters for Halloween as strike continues

The union representing actors issued a directive to avoid costumes inspired by struck work this Halloween.

A strike began over three months ago against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents Amazon/MGM, Apple, NBCUniversal, Disney/ABC/Fox, Netflix, Paramount/CBS, Sony, and Warner Bros. Now, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is suggesting that a Halloween costume based on any project out of these studios could be considered promotional work for these studios they’re trying to strike against.

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“Don’t post photos of costumes inspired by struck content to social media,” the SAG-AFTRA directive reads. “Choose costumes inspired by generalised characters and figures (ghost, zombie, spider, etc).”

“Let’s use our collective power to send a loud and clear message to our struck employers that we will not promote their content without a fair contract,” the directive continued.

The suggestion to avoid classic costumes from a large majority of popular movies and streaming shows sparked controversy online. Most union members met the news with some humor on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

“I look forward to screaming ‘scab’ at my 8 year old all night,” actor Ryan Reynolds posted on X, referring to the nickname given to those who don’t follow strike rules. “She’s not in the union but she needs to learn.”

Actress Caroline Williams responded with a photo of “Baby Jane Barbie,” which appeared to be the classic doll with the face painted black and white.

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Union members are still allowed by strike rules to appear on talk shows, variety programs, televised competitions, and the like. For example, some actors appeared at New York Comic Con recently but did not appear in costume or discuss their credits that came out of these studios.

Negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP have come to a head with the actors union over wage increases, streaming residuals, and protections against artificial intelligence. The AMPTP has successfully made an agreement with the Directors Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America. It claimed to have “offered the same terms that were ratified by the DGA and WGA” when it came to “general wage increases, High-Budget [subscription video on demand] residuals, and viewership bonuses.”