A new deal was reached on late Nov. 8, between the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the industry. A final conclusion was reached, as the strike officially ended on Nov. 9.
Actors first joined the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike on July 14, and the unions lead a collective effort to advocate for better wages, protection against AI writing, and revenue from streaming. This marked a historic event of the 118 day long strike, which was the longest for SAG-AFTRA’s history.
Following the WGA’s successful deal, the SAG-AFTRA’s deal is valued at more than $1 billion for the approximately 160,000 members of the union.
SAG-AFTRA’s deal was negotiated with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP), with the end of the strike bringing a win for SAG-AFTRA. Other major entertainment companies, such as Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Universal played a hand in these negotiations.
The new actors’ contract supports many of their key struggles. Basic minimum increases in wage, with 7% in the first year, breaking the record of the writers’ deal which negotiated 5% of wage increases. Hair and makeup professionals will also be required to be present on sets.
Performers are also protected, as studios must provide consent from the actors about descriptions or replicas of any actor as a major response to the use of AI technology that has especially expanded. The struggle in negotiations for protection against the growing AI technology used to replicate performances was a large factor in these deals, to ensure these protections would continue into the future.
Performers will gain a greater share of the streaming service revenue. Streaming services will also give bonuses to shows that amass a standard of success, with estimates reporting it could be $40 million per year.
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the major negotiator for the deal and the executive director of SAG-AFTRA, sees this new deal as a victory. \
“It’s an agreement that our members can be proud of,” Crabtree-Ireland said. “We said we would only accept a fair, equitable and respectful deal, and that’s precisely what this deal is. So I think our members, as we are able to release more of the details of it, will look at them and say, now this is something that was worth being on strike for.”
