The SAG-AFTRA national board approved its new contract with the major studios with an 86% approval vote, sending it to membership for ratification.
The official approval was announced by the guild at a press conference Friday afternoon, which finally got started at around 3:20 p.m. after an 80-minute delay. SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher, national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and members of the union's contract negotiating committee were present at union headquarters to announce the terms.
"This victory is everyone's victory," said Crabtree-Ireland at the start of the conference.
The deal includes a 7% raise in most minimums, as well as a new $40 million residual bonus for actors on streaming shows. The deal also includes extensive protections against the use of artificial intelligence, though it allows AI to be used to create "digital replicas" if actors are paid and give their permission.
In total, the deal is valued at more than $1 billion over three years.
The tentative agreement, reached on Wednesday, put an end the union's 118-day strike, the longest actors strike in Hollywood history. Actors were allowed to return to work on Thursday.
The union's membership has to approve the contract by a majority vote, though that is expected to be a formality.
The negotiating committee recommended the pact with unanimous thumbs-up, marking a rare example of unity among SAG-AFTRA's many factions at a time of change for the industry.
Led by Drescher and Crabtree-Ireland, the deal was negotiated on and off from early October until a final marathon push over the past two weeks.
The pressure was heightened as the clock ticks down on 2023. The industry is now engaged in a mad scramble to get movies finished for next year's summer blockbuster season, and to get TV series up and running before the winter and new year holiday break hits in December.
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