Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1512402
The Negotiating Committee and staff celebrate the Nov. 8 tentative agreement that ended the strike. L ate afternoon on Nov. 8, 118 days into the TV/Theatrical/ Streaming strike — the longest strike in the union's history against film and TV studios and the largest U.S. strike since the 1997 UPS workers strike — the Negotiating Committee reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP. Though many on the Negotiating Committee were exhausted after more than 10 hours of deliberations the previous day, hugs were shared and tears were shed following the unanimous vote to approve the tentative agreement. "This has been the most extraordinary Negotiating Committee," National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said. "Unbelievable. So powerful. So impressive. So inspiring for me and, I know, all of the staff." Together, the gains achieved in the contract are expected to generate over $1 billion in new compensation and funding to the benefit plans. The Nov. 11 episode of Saturday Night Live celebrated the strike's end with Timothée Chalamet singing about returning to "a magical world where actors can, once again, talk about their projects." The new agreement was made possible by the membership's phenomenal solidarity and support for their TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee. A huge debt of gratitude is also owed to all the entertainment industry unions for rallying behind the actors throughout our 118-day strike. This victory is everyone's victory. In the face of artificial intelligence technology potentially changing the entertainment landscape, protections for performers mean the preservation of tens of thousands of jobs in the entertainment community. The morning the strike ended, President Joe Biden released a statement congratulating the union. "Collective bargaining works … Over the last three years, workers have won historic victories that ensure record pay, record benefits, and an economy that grows from the middle out and bottom up. SAG-AFTRA members will have the final say on this contract, but the sacrifices they made will ensure a better future for them, their families and all workers who deserve a fair share of the value they helped create." SAG-AFTRA members will now be asked to ratify this game-changing contract. These deal points will revolutionize the industry, and performers will receive improved streaming compensation, unprecedented wage escalation and crucial protections around the use of artificial intelligence technology. Throughout the wages and working conditions process, members stressed the need for structural changes in the way they are compensated for their labor, and the union made critical progress in moving the industry in the right direction. See next page for important gains in the new contracts. sagaftra.org | Fall/Winter 2023 | SAG-AFTRA 23 SAG-AFTRA Celebrates Over $1 BILLION in New Gains TENTATIVE AGREEMENT REACHED!