After the approval of the deal by the SAG-AFTRA federal committee, the actors will proceed to vote on the preliminary agreement with the productions.
Duncan Crabtree, the chief negotiator and national executive director of Ireland, stated that the deal was unanimously approved by 86% of the committee members.
Expressing gratitude, Crabtree acknowledged the unwavering support from the leisure market unions throughout the strike. He emphasized, “This achievement was made possible by the incredible solidarity and backing of the negotiating committee.”
Crabtree-Ireland mentioned that the voting process is scheduled to commence on Tuesday and conclude in the first week of December.
The press conference featuring President Fran Drescher and Crabtree-Ireland, intended to unveil specific details of the agreement, was delayed by approximately 90 minutes.
This voting process mirrors the one followed by the WGA, where 99% of its members endorsed their three-year contract. However, given SAG-AFTRA’s larger membership base, the voting is expected to be more prolonged and challenging compared to the WGA. While the WGA comprises around 11,000 predominantly tech-savvy members, SAG-AFTRA boasts 160,000 members who will need to vote in person rather than online.
The WGA voting process spanned a year.
President Fran Drescher, Secretary-Treasurer Joely Fisher, and other vice presidents are part of the national committee that approved the preliminary deal. The committee includes over 65 members such as Sean Astin, Josh Charles, Henry Ian Cusick, Frances Fisher, Elliott Gould, Dulé Hill, Rosie O’Donnell, Billy Porter, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Sharon Stone, and Lisa Ann Walter.
