- The Washington Times - Thursday, July 27, 2023

The Screen Actors Guild canceled picket lines in New York City on Thursday and Friday over sizzling weather.

The strikes were expected at offices of NBCUniversal, Paramount, Netflix, HBO and Amazon throughout the city.

The Writers Guild of America also canceled strikes Friday, but the union still planned to picket at its usual NYC locations Thursday before ending at 11 a.m.

According to the National Weather Service, the New York area is under an extreme heat warning for Thursday and Friday. The agency said temperatures in the city could reach well into the triple digits, making picketing dangerous.

Both unions have been routinely picketing in the city since their strikes began. The WGA has been on strike since early May while SAG walked off July 14. New York, much like Los Angeles, has been a hotbed of Hollywood labor demonstrations. Earlier this week, SAG hosted a rally in Times Square that brought out many famous faces.

The two unions are in contract negotiations with the studios and hope to get improvement to residuals, workplace protection and regulations on how artificial intelligence can be used in movies and TV.

• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.

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