• The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists have reached a tentative deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
• This follows over 118 days of strike action brought on by a number of grievances union members wanted to be addressed.
• The deal is said to protect union members from the threat of AI taking over their jobs.

The Writers Guild of America may have suspended its strike action in September but the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) members have continued their strike action.

That persistence has paid off because on Wednesday evening the union reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). As a result, the strike action was suspended at 12:01 on 9th November, 118 days after the strike action commenced.

“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,” SAG-AFTRA’s TV and Theatrical Negotiating Committee wrote in a statement.

Union members will be sent the full details of the agreement once the SAG-AFTRA National Board has reviewed it.

“We also thank our union siblings — the workers that power this industry — for the sacrifices they have made while supporting our strike and that of the Writers Guild of America. We stand together in solidarity and will be there for you when you need us,” the negotiating committee added.

According to Variety, the last 10 days of negotiations have centered largely around the use of artificial intelligence. Many within the union were concerned that AI would be used to replace them and the deal reportedly contains provisions that require consent and compensation should a production house implement AI.

This SAG-AFTRA strike was the longest in history and its impact on the entertainment industry will surely be noticed in the coming months as whatever buffer studios had begins to dry up. Vulture detailed all major productions that had been delayed as a result of the strike action and it’s a rather long list.

We’re sure both actors and studios are itching to get back to work but when that will be is unclear.

This is great news though and we’re glad the studios and unions have managed to reach agreeable terms for both actors and writers.

[Image – Harald Müller on Unsplash]