Negotiators for actors and the major studios are set to return to the bargaining table on Monday in an effort to resolve the ongoing actors strike, according to union officials who announced this on Wednesday.
“SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP will meet for bargaining on Monday, Oct. 2. Several executives from AMPTP member companies will be in attendance. As negotiations proceed, we will report any substantive updates directly to you,” the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday evening.
This announcement follows the conclusion of the writers strike. Writers have been allowed to resume work as of 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday after the Writers Guild of America endorsed a proposed contract agreement with Hollywood studios. This sets the stage for a ratification vote by union members.
The writers strike began on May 2, with actors going on strike in mid-July over many of the same issues, including residual formulas for streamed content and protections against the use of artificial intelligence.
These labor actions brought the entertainment industry to a halt, with actors and writers picketing daily in front of major Hollywood studios.
While negotiators for the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios, worked diligently to reach a tentative deal, SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP have not conducted official talks since the start of the actors strike in July.
SAG-AFTRA represents approximately 160,000 actors. Their demands include wage increases across the board, protections against the use of actor images through artificial intelligence, higher compensation for successful streaming programs, and improvements in health and retirement benefits.
The deal reached by leaders of the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers includes incremental increases in minimum salaries. These salaries would rise by 5% upon ratification, by 4% in May 2024, and by 3.5% in May 2025. The agreement also includes increases in health and pension contributions.
The proposed contract also imposes restrictions on the studios’ use of artificial intelligence, prohibiting AI from writing or rewriting literary material and preventing AI-generated content from being considered source material, which means it cannot undermine a writer’s credit.
The proposal also introduces a new residual formula for streaming programs that offers higher pay for particularly successful programs. It also includes pay increases for writers employed on TV series, as well as employment guarantees for specific numbers of writers based on the number of episodes being produced.
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