Back to work Hollywood: SAG-AFTRA members ratify strike-ending contract

The new contract ensures that actors will enjoy a 7% increase in their minimum wages from November 9, 2023, a further 4% from July 1, 2024, and a final 3.5% from July 1, 2025, amounting to a total of 14.5% in minimum wage increase over the three years of the contract.

The contract also requires studios to obtain consent from performers, regardless of whether they are alive or deceased, before creating and using their digital replicas. It also asserts that actors are entitled to wages for the use of their digital replicas on-screen.

The ratified SAG-AFTRA contract also establishes a $40 million residual bonus for actors who feature in projects that air on streaming platforms should those projects achieve success. It also provides protection against sexual harassment, including requesting an Intimacy Coordinator for scenes that involve nudity or simulated sex, and outlines a set of rules for self-tape and virtual auditions.

The contract includes other landmark provisions, such as equity provision for actors of color who have historically faced discrimination on set concerning hair and makeup, among other additions. You can read more about it here.

In her comments on the ratification, SAG-AFTRA's president Fran Drescher expressed pride at the unity that SAG-AFTRA members displayed over the 118-day strike. She commended actors' commitment during the process and expressed certainty that SAG-AFTRA members will "continue their advocacy throughout our next negotiation cycle."

In many quarters, the contract has been described as a major win against Hollywood's biggest studios. However, some actors are not convinced it is a good deal. One of these is Kendrick Sampson of Insecure, who believes the new contract is not good enough, especially after the substantial sacrifices actors made over the course of the strike.

Regardless of Sampson's views and others', the contract's ratification means the strike is now a thing of the past and actors in Hollywood, both in film and television, will return to work.