Dade Hayes at Deadline reports the topic of contract negotiations with studios and streamers was off the table earlier this week as Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) Leaders put the focus on unity and celebration at the Union’s annual Rock the City event in New York. Contract talks were recently put on pause and are set to resume April 27th ahead of the June 30th expiration of the current agreement. The Rock the City celebration has been hosted for more than a decade at the Union’s Headquarters in Manhattan, bringing together the disparate communities all under the Union’s umbrella - spanning Broadway, film, television, digital, advertising, music and other areas. This year’s edition also drew: U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler; Rafael Espinal, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment; and New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin. Among the SAG-AFTRA Representatives in the room were: New York Local President Ezra Knight; Executive Vice President Linda Powell; and Rebecca Damon, Chief Labor Policy Officer and Executive Director, New York Local. Despite uncertainty about the next contract’s specific provisions and concerns about the state of production in New York, a mood of celebration prevailed. A 10-minute series of remarks was punctuated by whoops and cheers.

For More On This Labor News Report, Go To: SAG-AFTRA leaders join New York and federal officials at 'Rock the City' celebration