Actors’ union agrees to ‘last-minute request’ for federal mediator in contract negotiations

But Sag-Aftra says it will not extend Wednesday night deadline to reach deal before going on strike

As Hollywood was bracing for the possibility of the first simultaneous strike by Hollywood writers and actors in more than sixty years, the Screen Actors Guild said it had agreed to a last-minute request" to work with a federal mediator in contract negotiations with film and TV studios.

But the union said it would not extend its Wednesday night deadline to reach a deal before its 160,000 members go on strike, citing their frustration with the studios' negotiating tactics.