BREAKING: After 118 Days, SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP Reach Agreement
The strike is over!
NOVEMBER 8, 2023 - After 118 days, it appears that the standoff between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP has come to an end.
on July 14, the union for film, television, and radio talent joined the writers of the WGA on the picket lines, walking off sets nationwide in the name of better pay and protections against Artificial Intelligence. Star Trek stars, from Star Trek: Discovery’s Anthony Rapp to Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Noël Wells and Star Trek: Picard’s Michelle Hurd maintained solidarity during the nearly 4 months of picketing, with Hurd joining me in an interview to talk about the strike’s stakes.
The months had their ups and downs for the union, with proposals and counter-proposals being brought to the table and both sides walking away more than once. When the AMPTP brought what they characterized as their “last, best, and final offer,” it was hoped that the strike was nearly over, but by the end of the weekend, SAG-AFTRA had turned it down, saying there were still “several essential items” that the two sides were unable to agree on, including the AI debate.
But tonight, after several more hours of work, SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP seem to have reached an agreement, perhaps just in time. The first half of the 2024 television and movie season has already mostly been canceled and further delay might have put the second half of the year in jeopardy, as well. Already production has been pushed back on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, which promises the end of Gorn-sized cliffhanger, and other upcoming Treks have also been affected, including a Section 31 made-for-streaming film.
According to Variety, the new agreement will see the minimum pay for actors go up by 7%, two percent more than the writers’ increase. The full details of the agreement, including those regarding AI, are expected to be released Friday, but according to Kevin E. West, a member of the union’s negotiating committee, “The final vote was unanimous. That’s a difficult thing to accomplish.”
DSTN will bring you more on the agreement when the announcement is made Friday, so stay tuned.
T is the Managing Editor for Daily Star Trek News and a contributing writer for Sherlock Holmes Magazine and a Shakespeare nerd. He may have been the last professional Stage Manager to work with Leonard Nimoy, has worked Off-Broadway and regionally, and is the union Stage Manager for Legacy Theatre, where he is currently working with Julie Andrews. after which he’ll be working on Richard III at Elm Shakespeare Company.
