The Strike Is Over! (or It’s Now Time To Vote And Pass The Contract)

After 118 days of SAG-AFTRA being on strike, the strike finally ended last week! I don’t think that anyone thought it would take this long to get to a deal when the strike started. I feel very certain that we had to go on strike because what was offered to us was not reasonable, but I really hoped it would be a short strike. It was shorter than the writer’s strike, but I never thought it would last over 100 days.

Nobody wanted to go on strike, but I will say that the solidarity that I saw on the picket lines was very inspiring. All of us were working together for a common goal. That’s a rarity for this industry. We all understood why we were on strike and why it was necessary. I went to the picket lines as often as I could, which wasn’t as much as I would have liked. But I made sure I supported my union and fellow members online when I couldn’t be there in person.

I knew that our Negotiating Committee was working hard on a deal when the other side was willing to meet with them. Of course, the other side didn’t want to meet that often and it took over 100 days from the start of the strike to the next time they met. This wasn’t our choice, but it was what we had to accept. And when they were meeting, those negotiating for us knew what our priorities were and what protections we would need. Finally, we had a tentative deal which was agreed to by every member of our Negotiating Committee.

The next step was for the Negotiating Committee to bring the deal to the National Board for them to decide if the deal was approved for the membership to vote on. That vote passed, with 86% of the National Board approving it. That is higher than many of our past contracts, so I’m really excited about that. And now, all 160,000 members will have an opportunity to vote to hopefully ratify this new contract.

We have a few weeks to vote, and I am taking my time to make sure I understand the new contract. I feel very certain that I will be voting yes because there are so many amazing things in this contract. It’s not everything we wanted and it’s not perfect, but no negotiation ends with one side getting every single thing they asked for.

Some people wanted to make AI forbidden in the new contract. But what we got was that AI can only be used with our consent when we are told exactly what it is used for. And if we are not on set because they are using an AI version of us, we have to be paid our day rate just like we would if we were on camera. That’s amazing to me! We also got increases in our residuals and new streaming bonuses for high-performing shows. We never had those bonuses before so that is an entirely new way we can make money with our contracts. And the one I’m most excited about is the new rules for self-tape auditions. We now have to have at least 48 hours (not counting weekends and holidays) for self-tape auditions. I’ve had some in the past that had less than 24 hours before they were due. We now have a restriction on how many pages these auditions can be. And we cannot be required to do any fancy camerawork or editing for an audition. Those are awesome because I’ve seen some crazy self-tape instructions that say you have to film in multiple locations.

I know the contract isn’t the easiest thing to read and all members should educate themselves about it before voting. I attended a Zoom informational session about it that happened earlier this week, and I know there will be more coming up. There’s also an in-person informational session later this week that members can register for. Things are being announced as they are scheduled, so I expect there will be more than what has been announced so far so all members should have a chance to learn more about the contract and get their questions answered.

I do hope that this contract is voted up and ratified. If we don’t, going back to the table means we will lose some of the things we have won. And as I said, it’s not perfect, but it’s got some great things in it. And when we negotiate again in less than 3 years, we will be in a much stronger spot to get even more protections for all members and make our profession even stronger.

You Might Also Like

Authorizing A Strike (or I Got My Vote In) Getting Informed About A Contract (or A Union Meeting Before A Vote) Another SAG-AFTRA Election (or 318 Million Reasons To Vote Yes) Celebrating A New Contract (or Feeling Good About This Accomplishment) Strike! (or Getting Out To Picket) The Importance Of The Writers Strike (or I Support The WGA)