SAG-AFTRA Strike End in Sight as Tentative Deal Reached to End Months-Long Work Stoppage

It's been a long 118 days, but we finally have a deal.

That's right, folks!

SAG-AFTRA announced Wednesday evening that it had formally reached a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the negotiating committee for SAG-AFTRA approved the three-year agreement unanimously.

As a result, the work stoppage ended Thursday at 12:01 am PT.

As is the norm, the agreement will have to be ratified by SAG-AFTRA members, but the work stoppage has been lifted because the chances of it not being approved are slim.

"In a contract valued at over one billion dollars, we have achieved a deal of extraordinary scope that includes 'above-pattern' minimum compensation increases, unprecedented provisions for consent and compensation that will protect members from the threat of AI, and for the first time establishes a streaming participation bonus," the union said in a statement.

"Our Pension & Health caps have been substantially raised, which will bring much needed value to our plans.

"In addition, the deal includes numerous improvements for multiple categories including outsize compensation increases for background performers, and critical contract provisions protecting diverse communities."

"We have arrived at a contract that will enable SAG-AFTRA members from every category to build sustainable careers," the union added.

"Many thousands of performers now and into the future will benefit from this work."

The AMPTP shared their own statement: "Today's tentative agreement represents a new paradigm."

"It gives SAG-AFTRA the biggest contract-on-contract gains in the history of the union, including the largest increase in minimum wages in the last forty years; a brand new residual for streaming programs; extensive consent and compensation protections in the use of artificial intelligence; and sizable contract increases on items across the board.

"The AMPTP is pleased to have reached a tentative agreement and looks forward to the industry resuming the work of telling great stories."

The SAG-AFTRA strike got underway on July 13, 2023.

The union and the AMPTP were far apart on streaming residuals, artificial intelligence, pensions, and health contributions.

Despite returning to the table several times, negotiations continually broke down, culminating in the AMPTP sending their "last, best, and final offer" over the weekend.

During the negotiations, SAG-AFTRA accused the AMPTP of "bully tactics," saying they were "putting out misleading information in an attempt to fool our members into abandoning our solidarity and putting pressure on our negotiators."

The WGA was also on strike for a large chunk of the SAG-AFTRA strike, giving Hollywood its first dual strike in years.

Thankfully, the WGA reached a deal with the AMPTP in late September, with its workers returning to work shortly after.

The result means that there will likely be plenty of scripts in the can to get the TV industry back up and running so that the broadcast networks can salvage a 2023-24 schedule.

Many networks resorted to imports and unscripted offerings, with most returning scripted shows pushed to midseason.

The plan, we hear, is for the networks to roll with 10 to 13 episodes of returning series, with many shows having their lowest episode orders ever.