Hollywood: actors’ strike ended after the union accepted the proposal

The longest actors’ strike in Hollywood history has come to an end. SAG-AFTRA (trade union) met again with AMPTP (trade organization representing the studios) this Wednesday (8) after more than ten hours of discussion on a clause regarding the use of artificial intelligence: the studios wanted to pay a one-off fee to use images of deceased actors without restriction.

The proposal, presented on Monday as “last, best and final” by the AMPTP (6), was rejected by the union. With the end of the strike, it was decreed that the actors will have to return to work on Thursday at 0:01 (local time; 5:01 Brasilia time).

The proposal was approved unanimously, according to the Variety. Now, on Friday (10), the SAG-AFTRA national council will have to formalize the approval and detail the agreement.

Understand, below, what the studies wanted and SAG-AFTRA’s counterproposal:

Unlimited AI for studies

Union counterproposal

At the meeting on Monday (6), the actors’ union did not accept the clause that could put an end to the strike.

According to sources of THRSAG-AFTRA sought compensation for the reuse of the artificially created images, as well as new consents for each use.

A studio source countered that the producers should actually have had consent from the dead actors’ representatives.

It is worth mentioning that actors may not consent to having their image artificially recreated, as has already happened in the industry. An example of this is Keanu Reeves.

Actors’ strike

After the unions’ refusal, the Variety updated that the AMPTP accepted the denial of the clause and that the two sides met on Tuesday to discuss the latest impasses regarding AI (7).

After ten hours of debate, the organizations expressed their opinion again this Wednesday (8), putting an end to a strike that lasted more than 110 days. Before this strike, the longest strike in Hollywood was in 1980: it lasted 95 days.

Proposal accepted

The union agreed to a raise of at least 7 percent, which is 2 percent more than the raises received by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Director’s Guild of America (DGA), reports The Variety.

One of the committee members, Kevin E. West, stated that “the final vote was unanimous. It was a difficult thing to do. Honestly, it’s been a long two weeks.”

However, he said that the final agreement was “not perfect, it never is”, but that it was still an “extraordinary” result, as well as the fact that there were “tears of enthusiasm and joy”.

In turn, Ben Whitehair, another member of the committee, declared that the agreement reached is a “huge victory” for the category. “It’s incredibly exciting. We made history,” he underlined.

For him, the category has achieved a “structural change” in compensation for streaming platforms. The commission member also underlined that, in 2026, in the next negotiations, the category will seek an even greater rearrangement. “When the artists understand what has been achieved, they will be thrilled,” he added.

Union members still must vote to ratify an agreement, which is expected to take a week or more. This however does not prevent the end of the strike, meaning that the actors will return to work as normal this Thursday (9).

Words from SAG-AFTRA

On X/Twitter the union commented on the end of the strike:

We are excited and proud to announce that today your TV/Theatre Negotiating Committee voted unanimously to approve a provisional agreement with AMPTP. As of 12:01pm PT on November 9th, our strike is officially suspended and all picket lines are closed.

SAG-AFTRA, on X/Twitter

With a contract worth more than $1 billion, we reached an extraordinary agreement that includes “above-standard” minimum compensation increases, unprecedented consent and compensation provisions that will protect members from the threat of artificial intelligence and, for the first time, establishes the streaming participation bonus.

Our pension and healthcare limits have been substantially increased, which will bring much-needed value to our plans. Additionally, the agreement includes numerous improvements for several categories, including excessive wage increases to support artists and key contract provisions that protect diverse communities.

SAG-AFTRA, on X/Twitter

“We have reached a contract that will enable SAG-AFTRA members across all categories to build sustainable careers. Many thousands of artists, now and in the future, will benefit from this work,” the institution added.

After Hollywood: the actors’ strike ends after the union accepts the proposal which first appeared on Olhar Digital.

Source: Olhar Digital

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.