SAG-AFTRA reaches tentative deal with major studios

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists reached a tentative agreement with the major studios on Saturday, avoiding a repeat of the strikes from three years ago.

The labor union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said they will not release the details of the agreement until the SAG-AFTRA National Board has reviewed it.

“SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP have reached a tentative agreement on terms for a successor contract to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical Contracts covering motion pictures, scripted primetime dramatic television, streaming content and new media,” SAG-AFTRA wrote in a statement.

The deal means SAG-AFTRA’s more than 160,000 members avoid a repeat of 2023, when both SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America went on strike for four months.

The AMPTP represents NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News.

Saturday’s agreement came after the WGA reached a four-year deal with the AMPTP last month. A contract is typically three years; however, in exchange for the fourth year, the WGA received a $321 million infusion into its health fund.

Actor and former SAG presidential candidate Chuck Slavin told NBC Los Angeles healthcare, pensions and artificial intelligence protections are what’s most at stake. He’s worried technology may outpace any protections guaranteed by a four-year deal.

“Overall, the future is rapidly changing,” Slavin said. “And I think we need to protect image likeness when it comes to AI. We need to make sure people get royalties and residuals on the work they are doing. Scanning is a major threat.”

The tentative agreement will now go to the SAG-AFTRA National Board in the next few days to review the terms.

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