SAG-AFTRA Board Ratifies Agreement, Bringing Historic Studio Strike to a Close

Nov 9

As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee has given the green light to a provisional agreement with the major studios, potentially concluding a strike that has lasted nearly four months. This strike has significantly affected Los Angeles' entertainment industry, impacting thousands of workers.

The decision was unanimous and followed a strenuous week of negotiations, culminating on Wednesday. SAG-AFTRA representatives labored intensively to negotiate better terms for the labor contract initially offered by the media companies, organized under the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The union announced that the strike, which spanned 118 days, is set to cease as of 12:01 a.m. Thursday.

While the specific terms of the agreement remain undisclosed pending a review by SAG-AFTRA's national board this Friday, the committee has indicated that the three-year contract is valued in excess of $1 billion.

Key highlights of the proposed contract include increased minimum pay for union members, higher residuals for online streaming shows, and enhanced contributions to health and pension plans. Notably, the contract sets new precedents concerning the use of artificial intelligence, addressing a significant concern for actors with groundbreaking consent and compensation clauses.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers has praised the deal, describing it as a "new paradigm" that offers SAG-AFTRA the most substantial contract-to-contract advancements in the union's history. This includes the biggest minimum wage hike in forty years, a novel residual structure for streaming, comprehensive AI usage protections, and considerable increases in contract provisions across the board.