SAG-AFTRA Strike Comes to an End After 118 Days As Agreement Reached

In the latest development in the filmmaking industry, the SAG-AFTRA strike is finally coming to an end with its negotiators approving a tentative agreement. The union stated on Wednesday that the strike which has been going on for 118 days now, will end at 12:01 AM on Thursday. In a historical move, the union’s negotiating committee approved the deal in a completely unanimous vote and now the agreement will be passed on to the SAG-AFTRA national board for approval on Friday.

Details of the Agreement Between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP

The last few days were spent by both sides adding some finishing touches to the agreement. This deal is going to be the first of its kind in history where the actors and other people who work in the filmmaking industry are provided protection from the use of Artificial Intelligence. This agreement not only protects them from their jobs being taken over by AI but also grants them a significant pay raise. According to the new agreement between SAG-AFTRA and Alliance of Motion Picture and TV Producers (AMPTP), the minimum wage will be raised by 7%.

According to this deal, the workers will also receive an increased pension as well as healthcare contributions. Not only this but according to an e-mail sent to SAG-AFTRA, the deal also includes a  “streaming participation bonus”. With all of this mentioned, the e-mail also states-

“We have arrived at a contract that will enable SAG-AFTRA members from every category to build sustainable careers, Many thousands of performers now and into the future will benefit from this work.”

Sag-Aftra president Fran Drescher posted on Instagram that the agreement has been reached and thanked all the members for their support.

Waves of joy are running through the whole filmmaking community regarding the finalization of this deal and the union is expected to organize celebrations all around the United States. A member of the union, Kevin E. West said that there were “tears of exhilaration and joy” in the committee room when the signing of the deal was done. West also added to his statement that-

“The final vote was unanimous. That’s a difficult thing to accomplish, It’s honestly been a really long two weeks.”

People in the filmmaking industry faced a serious threat in the face of Artificial Intelligence which was also the most complicated issue to resolve in the whole campaign that lasted for 118 days. However, with the strike coming to an end, we can expect movies that have been halted because of it to get back into production and match the release date assigned to them. Some major projects like Deadpool 3 have faced halts while it was nearing completion but now, it will begin production once again, and let’s just hope that Deadpool 3 and other halted projects make it to their official release date without any delays.