After 118 days of striking, the Screen Actor Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), the union representing over 160,000 actors, reached a tentative deal for a new contract with Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the entity representing entertainment companies such as Disney, Netflix, Amazon and more, creating a path for the industry to get back to work. Actors, who have struggled for years with issues surrounding residuals on streaming shows and growing future concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) replacing background performers, took to the picket lines in order to demand a better contract.
The newly proposed tentative deal involves some substantial wins for the union, such as increases in compensation for streaming shows and films, better healthcare funding, and concessions on self-taped auditions. It also guarantees studios will not use artificial intelligence to create “digital replicas” of actors’ likenesses without payment or approval. It did not, however, secure a percentage of streaming service revenue for its members. A two percent share later dropped to one percent, then a per-subscriber fee was proposed and rejected by the AMPTP, which instead proposed a new residual based on performance metrics in a fund worth about $40 million. Currently, SAG-AFTRA’s negotiating committee, which voted unanimously to accept the deal, is having the contract reviewed and finalized by the union’s national board.
For the past couple of days, union members have been reacting to the new deal. Chief among the biggest concerns are the AI protections the new contract would give — or the lack thereof. One of the main reasons behind the strike was fear from actors that studios could use and twist their voices and likenesses however they wanted without compensating or getting permission from said actors.
The new contract would require studios to obtain permission from performers in order to use a “digital replica” of themselves to be created and then be compensated for its use equivalent to if they had worked on set. However, many fear that these protections are not enough. For example, actors could feel pressured to agree to a digital likeness of themselves being created in order to be hired. If they refuse, they can be passed over to someone else. There are also exceptions when the studios need to obtain performers’ consent.
There have been plenty of complaints about the fact that SAG-AFTRA has not released the full agreement to its members yet, claiming that the deal is not yet finalized. Without understanding what the contract entails specifically, many do not feel comfortable voting on this yet. There have been growing calls since on social media from union members for the deal to be rejected.
But it is unclear if the union will be able to hold out for a better deal. In the weeks leading up to the end of the deal, morale had started to wane among picketing members. In October, when SAG-AFTRA prohibited its members from dressing up as characters from media produced by struck companies, the union faced backlash from its members. Jennifer Fox posted a costume of herself on Instagram, flagrantly breaking this rule. As of today, SAG-AFTRA has not levied any penalties on members for breaking this rule.
There is also a growing amount of pressure from studios and a collection of Hollywood’s A-List actors, the ones, ironically, with the least to lose in any contract agreement, to wrap up the strike. Whether the union can stand up to this pressure and fight for a fairer deal for working-class actors will remain to be seen.
In the coming years, fewer jobs for writers and actors are projected. After the studios poured billions of dollars into launching streaming services, most have still failed to turn a profit. Studios, receiving pressure from Wall Street about the lack of profits, will make drastic changes that will most likely lead to fewer shows being greenlit and first-look deals being canceled. It will be more difficult for newcomers to succeed in an already cut-throat industry filled with considerable competition. For people thinking of working in the industry, this is something to keep in mind as the dust settles from the strikes.
