NEWS: Deal APPROVED to End SAG-AFTRA Strike

2023 has been filled with a lot of uncertainty around the entertainment industry.

©SAG-AFTRA

From the WGA strike (Writers Guild of America) to the SAG-AFTRA strike (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), the entertainment industry has been negotiating on all fronts to come to an agreement for protections for both writers and actors. While the WGA strike ended earlier this year, the SAG-AFTRA strike has been holding its ground since July. However, that all has come to an end.

In an article written by Variety, they announced that the SAG-AFTRA union ended their 118-day strike at 12:01am on Thursday, November 9th.

This decision came after a lot of negotiating and putting the finishing touches on a deal that would not only protect actors against artificial intelligence but also give them a pay increase for their work, give them a “streaming participation bonus,” and increase pension and health contributions.

This deal has reportedly been in the works for two weeks. Kevin E. West, a member of the committee, said that the final deal wasn’t perfect, but achieving all that they did was extraordinary, per Variety.

The committee spent a lot of time in recent weeks working on this deal. On Sunday, they spent 12 hours working on it, followed by a meeting on Monday night, a 10 hour committee meeting on Tuesday, and a FINAL 6-hour meeting on Wednesday to iron out all of the details and take a vote.

The deal was approved with a unanimous vote, and now it is going to be sent to the SAG-AFTRA national board on Friday, Noveber 10th for approval. After that, all of the details are planned to be released.

©Disney

This strike has not only taken a toll on everyone involved, but the entertainment industry as well. Disney CEO Bob Iger talked with CNBC on Wednesday and warned other companies that the “financial impact of the strike would become more severe if a deal was not reached quickly.”

While SAG-AFTRA waits for their deal to be approved by the national board, they are allowed to return to work since the strike has officially been called off.