Hollywood can breathe a sigh of relief, as another one of its major labor unions has agreed to a new contract deal without even so much as a hint of another strike.
Performers’ union SAG-AFTRA and the bargaining representative for studios and streamers, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, announced that they had struck a tentative agreement on a new deal on Saturday. The parties did not go into detail on the terms of the agreement but said they would divulge more information at a later date.
“SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP have reached a tentative agreement on terms for a successor contract to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical Contracts covering motion pictures, scripted primetime dramatic television, streaming content and new media,” the union said in a statement.
The tentative agreement is now subject to approval by the SAG-AFTRA National Board, which will meet in the coming days.
While SAG-AFTRA had a laundry list of priorities at the bargaining table this year, a pressing issue was generative AI. The union established standards for AI-related consent and compensation during its 2023 negotiations, but the technology and its use cases have transformed since. SAG-AFTRA’s been eager to update its language as a result, with SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland saying that he ultimately wants to make performers generated by AI as expensive as humans at an appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show prior to negotiations.
The union was also focused on improving compensation for members. “People need their wages; they’re having a hard time qualifying for health care. They need cost-of-living, inflation [adjustments]. People need to make more money,” SAG-AFTRA president Sean Astin previously told THR.
Meanwhile, the AMPTP has been eyeing longer labor deals with top unions to ensure at least a few years free of work stoppages. The Alliance tried this approach with the first union to enter contract negotiations this year, the Writers Guild of America, and while it didn’t end up establishing the five-year deal it initially sought, the WGA settled for four years.
The performers’ union began negotiations, led by its national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, on Feb. 9. The AMPTP’s Hessinger served as chief negotiator for the studios and streamers. The parties extended contract negotiations twice, most recently returning to the bargaining table after the AMPTP made its WGA deal on April 27.
Now, the agreement will go to SAG-AFTRA’s national board for approval. Finally, it will be evaluated by members in a ratification vote that has yet to be scheduled.
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