Celebrity actors such as Alec Baldwin and Jamie Lee Curtis rejoiced when the Sag-Aftra union disclosed on a Wednesday that it had come to an initial compromise to end the strike, following a work interruption that essentially brought the booming Hollywood film and TV business to a standstill for months.
Sag-Aftra and the Association of the Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents Netflix, Walt Disney, and other media firms, came to an initial settlement on Wednesday, around a month after writers’ ended a similar strike. After talks broke off in early October, the parties recommenced this week, and this accord ended the longest-running strike for performers in movies and television.
Fran Drescher, an actor and president of Sag-Aftra, wrote on social media, saying, “We did it!!!!” and expressing gratitude to her fellow employees for “hanging in and sticking out for this historical deal!”
Actor Zac Efron called the deal “incredible” at the premiere of his the sport film The Iron Claw, while co-star Jeremy Allen White, who also the stars in the TV drama The Bear, exclaimed, “That’s amazing!” when he learned the strike was over during an Entertainment Tonight interview on the red carpet.
Oscar recipient Octavia Spencer wrote on Instagram, asking, “Who else is performing right now?” As Alec Baldwin stated, “Congratulations on everybody who did this outstanding job on behalf of the members,” Jamie Lee Curtis said, “perseverance pays off.”
According to the union, the new deal included the safeguards and wage increases that performers on the picket lines had demanded in order to enable “Sag-Aftra workers from all backgrounds to build sustainable careers.”
“In an arrangement worth at over $1bn, we succeeded in a deal of exceptional scope,” the company continued in a public statement. Larger-than-expected hikes in the minimum wage, a first-ever “streaming participation bonus,” and “unprecedented provisions for permission and remuneration that will protect workers from the threat of AI” were among the union’s victories.
