SAG-AFTRA, studios agree to a new deal

The industry’s biggest union will send pact to national board and members for approval.

In a sign of easing labor tensions, two of three major Hollywood unions have now agreed to a new labor contract.

SAG-AFTRA, the industry’s biggest union, tentatively agreed on terms for a new collective bargaining agreement with an alliance of producers, they said in a joint statement.

The union, representing about 160,000 performers, broadcasters and actors, estimated the value of the proposed three-year contract covering motion pictures, scripted prime-time dramatic television and new media production at $318 million.

“After participating in more than a decade of negotiations, this is one of the most meaningful packages we have ever secured,” said

SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris in a statement.

The contract will now go the union’s national board for review and must be approved by members before it takes effect.

The agreement is patterned after a deal struck by the Directors Guild of America with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) that secured increases in minimum salaries and improvements to residual payments for shows that are streamed online— a major priority for talent.

SAG-AFTRA’s deal includes wage increases of 2.5% in the first year and 3% in the second and third years of the contract. Performers will also get improved residuals paid for high-budget subscription streaming productions, which includes Amazon, Disney+ and Hulu.

Additional terms include an estimated $54 million in extra funding over the next three years for the SAGAFTRA health plan, additional travel perks and improvements in overtime pay for stunt performers as well as protections for actors around nudity and sex scenes.

The current contract had been due to expire June 30.

The AMPTP is still in talks with the Writers Guild of America, which many in the film and television industry had feared could end up going on strike.

The sides agreed to extend the existing WGA contract to June 30 to allow more time for negotiations during the pandemic.