SAG-AFTRA, the union representing approximately 160,000 actors, reached a tentative deal on Wednesday with major TV and movie studios that could end a strike launched more than three months ago.
The agreement arrives a month after Hollywood writers ratified a deal to end a separate contract dispute with the studios. The actors’ deal, like the writers’ agreement, has yet to be ratified by a majority vote among union members.
The two professions shared key areas of concern like residual payments and artificial intelligence, but some of their demands differed.
Striking SAG-AFTRA members picket as WGA (Writers Guild of America) members march in solidarity outside Paramount Studios on October 02, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
The actors began striking on July 14, joining forces with the writers who had been on strike since May 2. The writers’ union, the Writers Guild of America, ended its strike on Sept. 27 after reaching a tentative agreement with studios. That agreement was ratified by WGA membership on Oct. 9.
There are numerous reasons the actors went on strike.
One issue was over compensation. As the industry has shifted toward streaming, the money actors earn for their past projects, in the form of residuals, has been negatively affected, they argued. While it used to be that being on a popular show meant sizable and consistent income in the ensuing years, actors have seen those figures plummet in recent years.
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the national executive director and chief negotiator for SAG-AFTRA, said at a press conference that the streaming model has “undercut performers’ residual income and high inflation has further reduced our members’ ability to make ends meet.”
Another issue of major concern for actors was the potential use of artificial intelligence as a substitute for their authentic performances in future projects. Crabtree-Ireland called AI an “existential threat” to actors’ livelihoods.
At the time the actors’ strike began, AMPTP put the fault on SAG-AFTRA, saying, “A strike is certainly not the outcome we hoped for as studios cannot operate without the performers that bring out TV shows and films to life. The Union has regrettably chosen a path that will lead to financial hardship for countless thousands of people who depend on the industry.”
During the strike, actors were unable to promote any forthcoming or past projects that were made under the previous agreement between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP. This meant cast members in movies like “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” both of which premiered a week after the strike began, were unable to promote their films.
The strike saw production on film and television shows screech to a halt and the 2023 Emmys moved to January 2024.
Negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP began on October 2 and continued throughout the month and into early November.