SAG-AFTRA Strike Ends, Members to Vote on Deal

Updated Nov. 9, 2023, 12:45 p.m. EST

• After 118 days, the SAG-AFTRA strike ended. This was the longest strike in the union's 90-year history.
• The union reached a deal for a new contract with entertainment companies, including increased compensation for streaming shows and films, better healthcare services, concessions from studios on self-taped auditions, and guarantees that AI will not be used to create digital replicas of actors without approval and payment. 
• SAG-AFTRA failed to receive a percentage of streaming service revenue in the deal. Instead, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers proposed a residual for streaming programs based on performance metrics, which the union agreed to. 
• Union members still have to vote on the deal in the coming days.

Updated Oct. 23, 3:00 p.m. EST

• As part of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, actors have been warned not to dress as characters from show and movie productions. This means that costumes based on Barbie, Oppenheimer, or Wednesday Addams, among others, are banned.
• The union posted its recommendations:

"Choose costumes inspired by generalized characters and figures (ghost, zombie, spider, etc.)."

• The union argues that wearing these costumes will promote content made by the studios with which SAG-AFTRA is in a labor dispute. The union said:

"Let's use our collective power to send a loud and clear message to our struck employers that we will not promote their content without a fair contract!"

• The latest negotiations between the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) broke down on Oct. 11.
• Actor Ryan Reynolds mocked the rule on X: 

"I look forward to screaming 'scab' at my 8 year old all night. She's not in the union but she needs to learn."

Updated Sept. 26th, 2023, 1:36 p.m. PST

• Screenwriters and studios have reached a tentative deal to end a 146-day strike, the longest to affect Hollywood in decades. The end of the strike means writers will be able to return to work.
• The results of the strike are still unclear, but reports state that the Writers Guild was able to obtain concessions on many of their demands, including an increase in royalties from streaming content and a guarantee that AI will not impact writers credits and compensation.
• The tentative agreement has no impact on a separate strike led by 160,000 members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) that began in July. No talks between the union and studios are currently in the works, with the industry reluctant to accept some of the actors' demands, like a 2% guarantee of streaming revenues for show casts.
• Members of the SAG-AFTRA union have also voted 98% in favour of targeting gaming industry agreements that covers voice, motion capture and stunt work. Union president Fran Drescher said:

"It's time for the video game companies to stop playing games and get serious about reaching an agreement on this contract. The result of this vote shows our membership understands the existential nature of these negotiations, and that the time is now for these companies - which are making billions of dollars and paying their CEOs lavishly - to give our performers an agreement that keeps performing in video games as a viable career."

• A spokesperson of the video game companies targeted in the strike said:

"We have reached tentative agreements on over half of the proposals and are optimistic we can find a resolution at the bargaining table."

• While some shows may come back on the air, TV dramas and comedies will take longer due to the logistical demands of restarting large-scale productions and the actors' strike.

Updated May 2, 2023

• Hollywood writers went on strike early Tuesday morning, bringing television production to a halt throughout the industry. The board of directors voted unanimously for a walkout after saying writers faced an "existential crisis." The union stated:

"The companies' behavior has created a gig economy inside a union work force, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing."

• The trade association bargaining on behalf of the studios, television networks, and streaming platforms — the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers — said in a statement that it offered "generous increases in compensation for writers." However, Writers Guild members want structural changes to the business model on top of higher wages to create stability in their jobs.  

What’s the story?

• The Writers Guild of America could go on strike this week if they fail to reach a new deal before their contract expires at 11:59 pm on Monday, April 1. 
• With 98% of members voting to strike if negotiations don’t wrap before the deadline and the two sides appearing nowhere near agreeing, a walkout seems likely. Writers are suffering from reduced job opportunities and loss of income due to an industry shift from traditional broadcasting and cable programming to streaming services. 
• The union is negotiating with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP), representing Amazon, Apple, CBS, Disney, NBC Universal, Netflix, Paramount Global, Sony, and Warner Bros. Discovery. 

What could be impacted?

• The union represents 11,500 writers for television shows and motion pictures. If they strike, many shows, including late-night shows and daytime soap operas, could be immediately impacted.
• It’s estimated that the strike could last months — the last strike by the Writers Guild of America in 2007 lasted 100 days and caused an estimated $2 billion in economic damage. Entertainment attorney Jonathan Handel highlighted what television may look like moving forward:

“If this goes on we’ll see more reality, news and sports.” 

• AMPTP assessed that as many as 20,000 employees from 600 productions could be out of work if the writers decide to strike. 

What is the union asking for?

• The union argues that their contracts must factor in the industry’s shift to streaming services as residual fees vanish from writers’ paychecks. The union said in a statement:

“The companies have used the transition to streaming to cut writer pay…worsening working conditions for series writers at all levels. On TV staffs, more writers are working at a minimum regardless or experience, often for fewer weeks [of pay]...While series budgets have soared over the past decade, median writer-producer pay has fallen.”

• Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, a member of the union’s negotiation team, said:

“This is not an ordinary negotiating cycle. We are fighting for writers’ economic survival and stability of our profession.”

What is the other side saying? 

• A statement from AMPTP said: 

“Our goal continues to be to reach a fair and reasonable agreement. The AMPTP companies have approached these negotiations with the long-term health and stability of the industry as our priority. We are all partners in charting the future of our business together and we are fully committed to reaching a mutually-beneficial deal.”

• Unfortunately for the writers, experts believe it is unlikely that the management team approves of the union’s demands. Some say, if anything, AMPTP has incentives to let the strike drag on. Film producer and writer Tom Nunan said:

“The issue the writers are striking over are real, they’re meaningful, but their timing couldn’t be worse…I don’t think the studios have much to lose if there is a strike and there could be a lot for them to gain.”

Do you support the writers strike? 

-Jamie Epstein

(Photo credit: Flickr/fangbiansile)