Strike talks continue as Screen Actors Guild plans rally in Salt Lake City

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SALT LAKE CITY — There are several thousand members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Radio and Television Artists here in Utah who haven't come to terms with Hollywood studios yet.

Many of those are planning to picket at Salt Lake City's Washington Square on Thursday.

They are fighting for many of the same protections as the writers did like protection from artificial intelligence and for payments for their work when projects go to streaming services like Hulu, Netflix or Amazon Video.

Mycole Metcalf, a longtime Utah actor and producer, said the strike isn't just impacting writers and actors.

"People don't realize that it's not just actors and writers that are out of work," Metcalf said. "It's everyone on set. It's the camera guys. It's the crew, it's wardrobe. It's makeup. I mean, a lot of people are out of work."

Metcalf said there are several thousand members of SAG-AFTRA that live in Utah. She hopes many of them show up for Thursday's rally.

Meanwhile, Hollywood's writers are on the verge of getting back to work after months on strike.

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Debbie Worthen

Debbie Worthen brings nearly two decades of award-winning journalism experience to the KSL Newsroom and is thrilled be working for Utah’s legacy news organization. She anchors KSL 5 News at 4 and Live at 5 with Mike Headrick and reports for KSL 5 News at 6pm. There are countless things Debbie enjoys about working in local news, but storytelling is at the top of the list. Whether it’s meeting the remarkable people of Utah as they do amazing things, informing viewers of critical breaking news and issues that impact their communities or reporting on daily assignments like weather and traffic, Debbie is honored to be the one trusted to tell Utahn’s stories. She believes journalistic integrity and a commitment to accuracy have never been more important than they are now. Debbie started her career as a writer, producer and traffic reporter while finishing her communications degree at The University of Utah before making the jump to a full-time on-air position. (Although you could say she caught the news “bug” at KOLT-News at Cottonwood High School.) After several moves across the country, Debbie and her husband, Brandon Gilbert, moved to Utah to start their family. They love everything Utah has to offer and can’t imagine living anywhere else. Outside the office, Debbie and her family are advocates for at-risk youth and have fostered several children through Utah Foster Care. As a family they enjoy movie nights in the basement, trying new recipes and, a few times a year, traveling to exotic locations!