The SAG-AFTRA national board approved its new contract with the major studios with an 86% vote and sent it to members for ratification.
The guild announced the official approval at a press conference on Friday afternoon, which finally began at around 3:20 p.m. after an 80-minute delay. SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher, national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and members of the union’s collective bargaining committee were present at union headquarters to announce the terms. Full contract details will be announced on Monday.
“This victory is everyone’s victory,” Crabtree-Ireland said at the start of the conference.
“This is an ongoing, living thing – a contract,” Drescher added. “And we’re not finished yet. We’re just getting started.”
The deal includes a 7% increase in most minimums, a percentage that Crabtree-Ireland says “breaks the industry pattern”. It also includes a new $40 million residual bonus for actors on streaming shows that meet a certain benchmark of success, as well as more than $1 billion in new salaries and benefit plan funding.
Additionally, the guild announced safeguards against the use of artificial intelligence, but allows the use of AI to create “digital replicas” if actors are paid and give their permission.
“For me, the whole thing, the severity of it all, was extremely stressful,” said Drescher about the lengthy negotiations. “We went to the press and asked, ‘What are they doing? What are you waiting for? Are they trying to smoke us out?’ Well, darling, I quit smoking a long time ago. So I think they finally realized that they were facing a new kind of leadership in Duncan and me.”
Drescher also emphasized the importance of addressing AI in the negotiations, which was one of the last points agreed upon during the contract negotiations: “If we didn’t get this package, what do we do? “We are not really able to protect our members as much as they need to. If we didn’t get these barricades, what would it be like in three years?”
The tentative agreement reached Wednesday ended the union’s 118-day strike, the longest actors’ strike in Hollywood history. The actors were allowed to work again on Thursday.
Union members must approve the contract by a majority vote, although this is expected to be a formality.
The negotiating committee unanimously recommended the pact, marking a rare example of unity among SAG-AFTRA’s many factions during a time of change in the industry.
Led by Drescher and Crabtree-Ireland, the deal was negotiated off and on from early October until a final marathon push over the last two weeks.
The pressure has increased as the clock ticks towards 2023. The industry is currently in a mad race to get films ready for next year’s summer blockbuster season and to launch TV series before the winter and New Year holidays come December.