SAG-AFTRA votes to ratify their new three-year contract

Look for the union label. The long and arduous negotiation process that involved the actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, or the AMPTP, finally came to an end after months of stalled agreements. The strike lasted for a whopping 118 days. The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that the union has now voted to ratify their new contract, with 78.33 percent voting “yes” on the contract and 21.67 percent voting “no,” from a turnout of 38.15 percent. The contract extends to June 30, 2026.

Union president, Fran Drescher, and national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland released a joint statement on Tuesday that read, “This contract is an enormous victory for working performers, and it marks the dawning of a new era for the industry. Getting to this point was truly a collective effort.” Drescher would make her own additional statement that added, “SAG-AFTRA members have remained incredibly engaged throughout this process, and I know they’ll continue their advocacy throughout our next negotiation cycle. This is a golden age for SAG-AFTRA, and our union has never been more powerful.” SAG-AFTRA says the new contract represents “historic gains and protections for performers. With this vote, the industry and the jobs it supports will be able to return in full force.”

The details, according to THR, read, “The new three-year contract, which the union has valued at over $1 billion, more than three times the value of the union’s 2020 deal, raises minimum wage rates by 7 percent in the first year of the deal, and 4 percent and 3.5 percent in the years following. The agreement establishes new guardrails on the use of artificial intelligence, detailing times when consent and compensation are required, creates a success-based streaming bonus and institutes new rules for virtual interviews and auditions as well as self-tapes. The union raised contribution ‘caps’ to its pension and health plans and, for the first time, included performance capture work in its contract as covered union labor.”

In Crabtree-Ireland’s statement, he noted, “in any democratic institution, there will be disagreement at times. But no one should mistake the robust debate and democracy within SAG-AFTRA for any lack of unity in our purpose or mission: to protect and advance the cause of SAG-AFTRA members, now and forever.”