SAG-AFTRA has reached a tentative four-year deal with a major studio after negotiators managed to avoid a repeat of the three-year-old strike.
The union’s agreement comes about a month after the Writers Guild of America announced a tentative agreement with the Federation of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Both unions went on multi-month strikes against major studios in 2023.
“SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP have reached a tentative agreement on the terms of a successor agreement to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical Agreement covering motion pictures, primetime scripted dramatic television, streaming content and new media,” the union said in a statement.
AMPTP also posted a similar statement on its website.
Like the WGA, SAG-AFTRA agreed to extend its normally three-year term by one year in response to studios’ requests for longer-term labor peace.
In exchange for a long-term contract, the WGA received a $321 million injection into its health fund. It is not clear what the performers union received in return for the one-year extension, but AMPTP’s sweet offer on Saturday is believed to have helped seal the deal.
The agreement still requires union board approval and membership approval to take effect. The union said in a statement that terms will not be disclosed until the board has had a chance to review the agreement. The board plans to review the terms in the coming days.
The current contract does not expire until June 30, but negotiators were facing a deadline. The Directors Guild of America will begin negotiations on May 11, but AMPTP took about a week to prepare. Failure to reach an agreement with SAG-AFTRA would have forced the two sides to suspend talks and resume them in June.
The performers union began negotiations with AMPTP on February 9, about five months before its previous contract was set to expire. Negotiators appear to want to give them enough time to reach a deal to avoid exacerbating the global industry contraction.
Key issues on the agenda include artificial intelligence and streaming residuals, both of which also featured heavily in the 2023 strike. In 2023, the union won significant protections for “digital replicas,” or AI avatars that resemble human performers, including consent and indemnification provisions.
But the union is again trying to impose even greater restrictions on synthetic characters like Tilly Norwood. The union is also seeking to increase retention bonuses for performers on hit streaming shows. Actors have long complained that streaming residuals are paltry compared to traditional broadcast and syndicated residuals.
Initial negotiations lasted until March 15, after which SAG-AFTRA conceded to the WGA, which had an earlier deadline. The WGA reached an agreement earlier than expected last month, opening the door for SAG-AFTRA to resume negotiations on April 27th.
The American Producers Union congratulated SAG-AFTRA on reaching the agreement.
“Everyone who works in our industry is entitled to fair wages and benefits, and today’s announcement reflects a shared desire across the industry to ensure fair contracts that reflect the value of our important and creative work,” a PGA spokesperson said.
Updated details.
