Hollywood actors’ strike ends with a historic deal

After a historic strike that significantly impacted the film and television industry, the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) union has ratified its contract with Hollywood studios. This marks the end of a challenging period in Hollywood that effectively shut down the industry, causing financial hardship for tens of thousands of workers.

The deal, valued at over $1 billion and praised for its “extraordinary scope”, includes pay increases, protections around the use of artificial intelligence (AI), and bonuses based on streaming views. The agreement was reached in early November between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents major media companies like Walt Disney and Netflix. The deal was ratified by the union leadership and subsequently approved by 78% of its 160,000 members.

One of the immediate benefits of the deal is an 11% wage increase for background actors and a 7% wage increase for other actors. In addition to the wage increases, the union has also secured important safeguards for the use of AI. Under the new agreement, studios are prohibited from creating a digital replica of an actor without their consent. Moreover, actors will receive payment based on the type of work their digital replica performs on-screen. The contract also ensures that background performers’ digital replicas cannot be used without their consent.

The deal also establishes a $40 million fund to compensate performers for future viewings of their work on streaming platforms. Other provisions include the requirement for intimacy coordinators in scenes involving nudity or sex and terms to ensure that sets have appropriate hair and makeup for all performers. This is a significant step towards addressing long-standing racist practices in Hollywood’s hair and makeup departments, where actors of colour have often been told that productions “didn’t have the budget” to style their type of hair.

This year’s strike was the longest work stoppage ever for US film and television actors, and it occurred in tandem with the writers’ strike, which also secured similar protections from studios. The end of the strike and the ratification of the new contract represent a significant victory for actors’ rights and working conditions in Hollywood.