Oscar winners Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence are among over 400 actors who have signed an open letter to SAG-AFTRA leaders, threatening to strike if the union does not push for a better deal in upcoming contract negotiations.

The letter, which was published on Tuesday, June 27, expresses the actors’ concerns about a number of issues, including residuals, healthcare, pensions, self-tapes, and streaming growth. The actors argue that their wages, craft, creative freedom, and union power have all been undermined in recent years, and they demand a “transformative deal” that addresses these concerns.

“We feel that our wages, our craft, our creative freedom, and the power of our union have all been undermined in the last decade,” the letter reads. “We need to reverse those trajectories. With inflation and continued growth in streaming, we need a seismic realignment of our minimum pay and new media residuals, our exclusivity carveouts, and other terms.”

The letter also calls on SAG-AFTRA leaders to use the power given to them by the membership to join the Writers Guild of America (WGA) on strike if a deal is not reached by the time their current contract expires on June 30. The WGA went on strike last month after negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) broke down.

“This is not a moment to meet in the middle, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that the eyes of history are on all of us,” the letter states. “We ask that you push for all the change we need and protections we deserve and make history doing it. If you are not able to get all the way there, we ask that you use the power given to you by us, the membership, and join the WGA on the picket lines. For our union and its future, this is our moment. We hope that, on our behalf, you will meet that moment and not miss it.”

The letter has been met with support from other members of the entertainment industry, including directors Ava DuVernay and Judd Apatow. It remains to be seen whether SAG-AFTRA leaders will heed the actors’ demands, but the letter is a clear sign that the union’s membership is prepared to take action if necessary.

Here are some of the key demands made by the actors in the letter:

• A “seismic realignment” of minimum pay and new media residuals.
• Increased protections for healthcare and pensions.
• The right to self-tape auditions without penalty.
• Recognition of the impact of streaming growth on the entertainment industry.
• A willingness to join the WGA on strike if a deal is not reached by June 30.

The letter comes at a critical moment for SAG-AFTRA, as the union faces a number of challenges, including the rise of streaming and the ongoing labor dispute with the AMPTP. The outcome of these negotiations will have a significant impact on the future of the union and the entertainment industry as a whole.