SAG-AFTRA Ratifies Deal That Ended Four-Month Actor Strike

The tentative deal was reached by the SAG-AFTRA union representing Hollywood actors and the Alliance of Motion Picture and TV Producers (AMPTP) in early November, after nearly four months of strike action.

Now, members of the SAG-AFTRA Union have ratified the deal in a vote that took place between 13 November and Tuesday 5 December. The ratification of the deal signals the end of some tumultuous months for Hollywood, with actors and writers striking simultaneously for the first time in over 60 years.

The writers’ strike ended in September, with members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) ratifying a new contract with a 99% positive vote. WGA members hailed the deal – which saw significant gains in terms of compensation and control of artificial intelligence in scripts – as a resounding success.

With a turnout of about 38% and a total of 78% of votes in favour, the SAG-AFTRA deal was not approved quite as unanimously. According to the AMPTP, the deal “gives SAG-AFTRA the biggest contract-on-contract gains in the history of the union, including the largest increase in minimum wages in the last forty years; a brand new residual for streaming programs; extensive consent and compensation protections in the use of artificial intelligence; and sizable contract increases on items across the board”.

The issue of residuals was a focal point during the strike. Whenever a film or show airs on traditional TV, actors who appear in it receive a residual payment even years after filming. This, whoever, did not apply to streaming services – and with viewership shifting more and more online, this made a dent in the revenue of many actors.

The New Deal

The new contract changes this, as well as introducing measures of protection against the use of AI – although some argue these protections don’t go far enough. While the contract will protect actors from the use of AI to duplicate their features without consent, production houses will still be able to train AI on their images in order to create background characters in scenes requiring a large number of extras.

SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said, “By ratifying this contract, members have made it clear that they’re eager to use their unity to lay the groundwork for a better industry, improving the lives of those working in their profession. In any democratic institution, there will be disagreement at times. But no one should mistake the robust debate and democracy within SAG-AFTRA for any lack of unity in our purpose or mission: to protect and advance the cause of SAG-AFTRA members, now and forever.”

Other changes include the mandatory inclusion of intimacy coordinators in nude and sex scenes, and new protections during the casting process.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher commented, “I’m proud of our SAG-AFTRA membership. They struck for 118 days to grant the TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee the necessary leverage to secure over $1 billion in gains, along with the union’s first-ever protections around AI technology. Now they’ve locked in the gains by ratifying the contract.

“SAG-AFTRA members have remained incredibly engaged throughout this process, and I know they’ll continue their advocacy throughout our next negotiation cycle. This is a golden age for SAG-AFTRA, and our union has never been more powerful.”