Time for Hollywood to finally get back to work. The Screen Actors Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have reached a new three-year agreement, one that will end the strike that shut down film and television production beginning July 14th, 2023.
The SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical Committee approved the agreement in a unanimous vote on Wednesday. On Friday, the deal will go to the union’s national board for formal approval. However, the strike will end at 12:01 am Thursday, November 9th, at which point actors will be permitted to return to work.
The 2023 strike was the first time since 1980 that SAG as an organization took to the picket lines, after failing to secure a new contract with the AMPTP. Many of the issues that led to the labor action were similar to the issues that led to the Writers Guild of America also going on strike this year, including the state of residuals for streaming content and the rise of artificial intelligence in creative spheres. Actors also had additional concerns, including issues related to the practice of self-taping auditions.
In a statement outlining the terms of the deal, SAG-AFTRA said: “In a contract valued at over one billion dollars, we have achieved a deal of extraordinary scope that includes ‘above-pattern’ minimum compensation increases, unprecedented provisions for consent and compensation that will protect members from the threat of AI, and for the first time establishes a streaming participation bonus. Our Pension & Health caps have been substantially raised, which will bring much needed value to our plans. In addition, the deal includes numerous improvements for multiple categories including outsize compensation increases for background performers, and critical contract provisions protecting diverse communities.”
After 148 days on the picket line, the WGA strike was resolved once negotiations with the AMPTP concluded this September. SAG restarted its own negotiations with the organization on October 2nd, 2023, and the new deal brings an end to the 118-day strike.
With writers already back to work, production should ramp up across the industry in a hurry, along with new deals being announced. The full economic impact of the strike remains unclear at this time, though production delays as well as pushed release dates are just some of the results. However, as actors told Consequence at the beginning of the strike, the previous system was not sustainable for many working actors at that point. Hopefully, this new deal will help change that.
