SAG-AFTRA Reaches Tentative Agreement With Studios, Ending Actors Strike

SAG-AFTRA is one step closer to ending its four-month strike. The union has recently approved a tentative three-year contract with major film studios.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, SAG-AFTRA has approved the agreement in a vote today, November 8, 2023. This means that the strike will end tomorrow, November 9, 2023, at 12:01 AM. Then, on November 10, the deal will be presented to the union’s national board for approval.

SAG-AFTRA released a statement (via LA Times) that reads:

“In a unanimous vote this afternoon, The SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical Committee approved a tentative agreement with the AMPTP bringing an end to the 118 day strike,” the union said in a statement. “The strike officially ends at 12:01 AM. on Thursday, November 9.”

The news of an agreement comes just a few weeks after negotiations between the two had been suspended. The agreement was made before the 5 PM. deadline that was presented to the union by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Currently, details on the agreement are scarce, but THR points out that more details will become available to the public in the next few days before the union votes.

Before the agreement, both sides had initially met on October 2, 2023, but the studios ended up walking away from the deal. Then, the two met once again on October 24, 2023, but this time, the studios offered to increase wages for actors. However, one of the main things that stopped this deal was the usage of AI, and an agreement was not met again.

AI has been one of the main topics of this strike, as well as making sure actors were properly compensated for work featured on streaming services. In addition to that, the union also wanted to ensure that the actors would receive working conditions. The SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes are estimated to have cost the state of California at least $6 billion in revenue.

It’s also important to mention that the date for the union’s ratification vote has not been announced, which will decide if the deal is acceptable to them.