SAG-AFTRA reaches tentative deal with major film and TV studios
Heather Hamilton
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The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the union representing around 160,000 actors, reached a tentative deal with major film and television studios Wednesday.
While the actors’ deal with the Alliance Of Motion Picture and Television Producers must still be ratified by a majority vote among SAG-AFTRA union members, the deal is set to end a near four-months’ long strike.
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“In a unanimous vote this afternoon, The SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical Committee approved a tentative agreement with the AMPTP bringing an end to the 118 day strike,” the union said, according to reports. “The strike officially ends at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, November 9.”
The tentative contract, if ratified, will increase minimum pay for actors, as well as increase the union members’ health and pension plans. It will also bolster residual payments for shows that are streamed online and set new rules for how artificial intelligence is used.
The SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14. The actors joined forces with the Writers Guild of America, the writers’ union that began its own strike on May 2. The WGA reached an agreement with studios on Sept. 27, which was then ratified on Oct. 9.
On Tuesday, SAG-AFTRA shared that it had spent several hours negotiating but had yet to reach a deal, promising to continue discussions on Wednesday.
“Following a meeting Monday night with the AMPTP, the TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee spent 10 hours deliberating today. We will continue on Wednesday,” the union posted on X, the social media platform once known as Twitter.
The strike also impacted non-SAG-AFTRA members as they cannot hire performers for projects. Evelien Kong is a podcast producer and director who says she’s been out of work as long as the actors have.
“Nothing is perfect; nobody’s going to agree with everything,” Kong told the Washington Examiner. “I’m grateful that it’s been pretty united and solid. Everybody wants to be able to live.”
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The deal must still be ratified by a majority vote among union members.
Throughout the strike, union members have been allowed by strike rules to appear on talk shows, variety programs, televised competitions, and the like.