The SAG-AFTRA Strike Is Over: Union Reaches Tentative Agreement With Studios
Hollywood’s actors union reached a tentative deal with studios on Wednesday, bringing an end to months-long strikes that ground the film and television industries to a halt. Executives from Disney, Netflix and other top entertainment companies had a direct hand in negotiations.
Although the contract must be approved by the board of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and its members, the leadership declared the historic labour strife will come to an end at 12:01AM on Thursday.
Two Unions Strike Together For First Time Since 1960
More than 60,000 SAG-AFTRA members took to the streets on July 14, joining screenwriters who had already been staging protests for two months, marking the first time the two unions had walked off the job together since 1960. The studios and writers reached a deal in Sept.
The terms of the deal were not immediately released. This time, issues on the table included both short-term compensation and future royalty payments for film and television performances, along with control over actors’ images and likenesses regenerated with artificial intelligence.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which negotiates on behalf of major studios and streaming companies, said it “looks forward to the industry resuming the work of telling great stories.” Meanwhile, the Writers Guild of America also applauded the agreement.
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Any Feeling Of Normalcy Could Prove To Be Temporary
The writers strike had immediate, visible effects, including the suspension of late-night talk shows. While the impact of the actors’ absence was not as immediately prominent, its ripple effects could be felt for months, including delayed release dates.
Actors should swiftly return to movie sets where production was brought to a halt. Some movies and shows will restart shooting once returning writers finish scripts. Meanwhile, the only major awards show directly affected by the protests was the Emmys.
