Culture

Hollywood actors’ union reaches tentative deal with studios to end strike

Sag-Aftra union hails ‘deal of extraordinary scope’ after nearly four months of actors’ strike

Sag-Aftra union members striking in front of Paramount Studios in Los Angeles. The union has reached a tentative deal for a new contract with entertainment companies. Photograph: Mark Abramson/The New York Times

Dani Anguiano
Lois Beckett
Thu Nov 9 2023 - 07:35

Hollywood actors are set to end their nearly four-month strike, the Sag-Aftra union announced on Wednesday, bringing to a close a historic work stoppage that had brought the film and television industry to a standstill for months.

Sag-Aftra and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) reached a tentative agreement on Wednesday, ending film and television actors’ longest strike roughly a month after writers signed their new contract.

The deal came after parties had resumed talks last week following stalled negotiations in early October.

“In a contract valued at over $1bn, we have achieved a deal of extraordinary scope,” the union said in a public statement.

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Among its wins, the union said, were larger-than-expected increases in minimum compensation, a first-time “streaming participation bonus”, and “unprecedented provisions for consent and compensation that will protect members from the threat of AI”.

Hollywood producers also touted the tentative deal as establishing “a new paradigm” for the industry. The contract “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 sizeable contract increases on items across the board,” the AMPTP said in a statement on Wednesday night.

In its statement, the union said the new contract achieved what actors on the picket lines had said they needed – pay increases and protections that made it possible for “Sag-Aftra members from every category to build sustainable careers”.

“Many thousands of performers now and into the future will benefit from this work,” Sag-Aftra said.

The union said the 118-day strike would be “officially suspended” at 12.01am on Thursday, and that all picket locations would close.

The union said negotiators had reached a preliminary deal on a new contract with the AMPTP, which represents Walt Disney, Netflix and other media companies.

The breakthrough means Hollywood can ramp up to full production for the first time since May, once union members vote to ratify the deal in the coming weeks.

The union had fought for increased base pay for residuals, and guardrails around the use of artificial intelligence in film and television, concerns shared by writers who fought for similar protections in their contract.

Sag-Aftra began its strike in July with top stars heading to picket lines from Los Angeles to New York, and offering their support. George Clooney called it “an inflection point in our industry”, and said change was necessary for the “industry to survive”.

The resolution of the writers’ strike in September left union leaders feeling optimistic, and talks with the studios resumed in early October for the first time since their work stoppage. The studios walked away from negotiations amid a dispute over the use of AI and streaming residuals, arguing the actors’ demands were unreasonable, but came back to the negotiating table.

While the full details of the agreement were not immediately released, local news outlets reported that the actors had scored important wins, including on new compensation for shows that appear on streaming services, gains in health insurance, and new rules for the use of AI technology to replicate actors’ images and likenesses.

In its statement, the union said the deal also included “compensation increases for background performers, and critical contract provisions protecting diverse communities”.

Sag-Aftra said the details of the deal would be made public after a meeting on Friday, where board members will review the contract.

The deals won by the actors’ and writers’ unions this fall “represent a capitulation by Hollywood’s biggest companies”, the New York Times reported, and a stark reversal for the studio bosses who thought the unions would be “relatively compliant”.

The AMPTP said in its statement it was “pleased to have reached a tentative agreement and looks forward to the industry resuming the work of telling great stories”. – Guardian

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