SAG-AFTRA Strike Ends: What the Agreement Means

Yes. The 2023 SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike ended after the union and the major Hollywood studios reached a tentative agreement on November 8, and SAG-AFTRA members later ratified the contract. The strike officially ended at 12:01 a.m. Pacific time on November 9, 2023, after 118 days.

What agreement ended the strike?

The agreement was a three-year contract between SAG-AFTRA, the labor union representing performers, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which bargains for major studios and streaming companies. It covered performers working under the union’s TV and theatrical contracts. The deal addressed pay, protections and working conditions, including issues made more urgent by the growth of streaming and the use of artificial intelligence.

The union’s national board approved the tentative agreement and sent it to members for a ratification vote. On December 5, 2023, SAG-AFTRA announced that 78.33% of votes cast favored ratification. The agreement therefore became the contract governing covered work, rather than remaining just a tentative settlement.

Why actors went on strike

SAG-AFTRA began its strike on July 14, 2023, after negotiations with the AMPTP failed to produce an agreement. Members had authorized a strike by an overwhelming vote before negotiations ended. The union’s concerns included compensation that had not kept pace with changes in the industry, residual payments from streaming, and safeguards against the use of performers’ images and voices through artificial intelligence.

The walkout followed the Writers Guild of America strike, which began in May 2023 and ended in September. For a period, both unions were striking at the same time. The actors’ action affected film and television production and restricted many union performers from acting in or promoting projects covered by the strike rules. It was a labor dispute over contract terms—not a general ban on watching films or television.

What the contract changed

SAG-AFTRA described the deal as including an overall wage increase, changes to residuals and new protections concerning artificial intelligence. The contract also included provisions involving health and retirement benefits, audition processes and other workplace matters. Specific terms vary by provision and work category, so a headline figure should not be mistaken for a uniform raise for every performer.

• Compensation: The agreement provided wage increases and changes to certain minimum rates. A performer’s actual pay depends on the job, applicable contract category and negotiated terms.
• Streaming residuals: The deal created a new performance-based bonus for some successful streaming programs, in addition to changes to existing residual arrangements. Eligibility and payment are governed by the contract’s formulas and conditions.
• Artificial intelligence: The contract established consent and compensation requirements for certain uses of digital replicas. It did not simply prohibit all AI or make every use of a performer’s likeness impossible.
• Other protections: The contract addressed matters such as background performers, auditions and workplace rules. The complete agreement, rather than a short summary, determines how a particular provision applies.

How the end of a strike works

A tentative agreement and a ratified contract are related but distinct steps. Negotiators first reach proposed terms; the union’s leadership then decides whether to recommend or submit them to members. In this case, SAG-AFTRA’s national board approved the tentative deal, and the union’s membership later voted to ratify it.

The strike ended before the ratification vote was complete, allowing covered work to resume under the union’s instructions. Ratification subsequently confirmed the agreement through the membership process. This is why reports may refer both to November 8–9, when the strike ended and the tentative deal was announced, and December 5, when the vote result was reported. Those dates describe different events, not competing accounts of when the strike ended.

What resumed—and what did not happen overnight

Once the strike ended, SAG-AFTRA members could return to work on productions covered by the agreement, subject to the contract and normal production arrangements. The end of the strike removed the union’s work stoppage; it did not instantly restart every halted film or television project. Studios and production companies still had to arrange schedules, staffing, locations and financing.

Nor did the agreement settle every possible labor issue across entertainment. It applied to the contracts covered by the negotiations. Other unions, employers or types of work may have separate agreements. The Writers Guild’s earlier strike was a separate dispute with its own settlement, even though both labor actions were part of the unusually disruptive 2023 Hollywood shutdown.

Why the agreement mattered beyond the walkout

The strike drew attention to how streaming changes the economics of entertainment work. Traditional television syndication could generate residual payments when programs were reused, while streaming services have different distribution and reporting models. Actors also raised concerns that their compensation and residuals did not reflect the reach or success of some streaming titles. The new bonus mechanism was one negotiated response, though its rules do not mean every performer receives an automatic payment whenever a show is watched.

AI was another central issue because digital tools can reproduce or alter a person’s appearance or voice. The contract’s protections made consent and compensation key considerations for specified uses of digital replicas. The details matter: rights and requirements depend on the situation and the contract language, so broad claims that the deal either bans AI outright or grants studios unlimited rights are misleading.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did the SAG-AFTRA strike end?
The strike ended at 12:01 a.m. Pacific time on November 9, 2023, after the union and the AMPTP announced a tentative agreement on November 8.

How long did the SAG-AFTRA strike last?
It lasted 118 days, from July 14 to November 9, 2023.

Was the SAG-AFTRA agreement ratified?
Yes. SAG-AFTRA reported on December 5, 2023, that 78.33% of votes cast supported ratification of the three-year contract.

Did the deal ban studios from using AI?
No. It established consent and compensation protections for certain uses of digital replicas; it was not a blanket ban on artificial intelligence.

Did all film and TV production restart immediately?
No. Union members could return to covered work after the strike ended, but individual productions had to organize their own restart schedules and logistics.

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