At 2 p.m. presently, the President of SAG-AFTRA, Fran Drescher, is scheduled to conduct a press briefing in the James Cagney Boardroom at the organization’s Wilshire Boulevard headquarters, where she previously delivered a powerful statement that kickstarted the strike on July 13.
Accompanying her will be Duncan Crabtree, the National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator of Ireland, along with members of the TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee. Their agenda includes a detailed discussion on the specifics of the agreement and highlighting the advantages of the recent National Board Voting on the cautious deal struck with the productions.
It is important to note that despite the board’s anticipated endorsement and the official end of the strike at 12:01 a.m. PT on Thursday, the entire SAG membership will need to vote to ratify the agreement in the coming weeks.
As per the organization’s announcement on Wednesday, here is the current information available regarding the contract:
The contract, valued at over $1 billion, encompasses a remarkable range of provisions. These include substantial increases in minimum compensation, innovative clauses for consent and compensation to protect members from AI-related threats, and the introduction of a streaming participation award for the first time. Significant enhancements have been made to income and wellbeing caps, adding substantial value to the existing plans. Furthermore, the agreement incorporates various enhancements tailored to different categories, such as notable salary hikes for background performers and essential contract clauses that safeguard diverse communities.
On Wednesday, the AMPTP issued the following statement:
“This robust agreement signifies a groundbreaking paradigm shift.” It marks the most significant increase in minimum wages in the union’s history, introduces a novel residual structure for streaming content, provides extensive safeguards and compensation protocols for AI usage, and secures substantial contract enhancements across the board, representing substantial gains for SAG-AFTRA members.
