SAG-AFTRA Members Approve Contract, Ending Historic Hollywood Strike

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) has ratified its contract with Hollywood studios, formally ending the strike that began on July 14. The multi-year contract includes $1 billion in new compensation and benefits for actors, as well as protections against studios' use of AI. The deal also includes an immediate pay increase for background actors, a residual bonus for actors working on successful streaming series or films, AI protections, new make-up and hairstyling requirements, and the requirement to hire intimacy co-ordinators for scenes involving sex and nudity. The strike, which lasted 118 days, disrupted the entertainment industry and cost the California economy an estimated $6.5 billion.