After 118 days, the SAG-AFTRA strike appears to be at an end, allowing an industry which has ground to a halt over the summer after only just finding its feet following the global pandemic to return to work. The deal, which lasts three years, is said to be worth a billion dollars for its members.
SAG-AFTRA negotiators have approved a tentative agreement that will end the longest actors strike against the film and TV studios in Hollywood history.
In an announcement Wednesday, the union said the 118-day strike would officially end at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday.
The union’s negotiating committee approved the deal on a unanimous vote. The agreement next goes to the SAG-AFTRA national board for approval on Friday.
The two sides spent the last several days putting the finishing touches on the deal, which will see the first-ever protections for actors against artificial intelligence and a historic pay increase. The deal will see most minimums increase by 7% — two percent above the increases received by the Writers Guild of America and the Directors Guild of America.
Now let’s hope for a swift resumption of filming on forthcoming seasons of our favourite shows and movies from the Star Wars galaxy and beyond.