SAG-AFTRA Members Ratify New Four-Year Contract With Studios and Streamers

BySSZee Media

Jun 5, 2026 #AI, #Hollywood, #News, #News Of The World, #Showbuzz

Members of SAG-AFTRA have overwhelmingly approved a new four-year contract with major studios and streaming companies, formally ratifying an agreement that introduces stronger protections around artificial intelligence, increases compensation and lays the groundwork for a long-awaited merger of the union’s pension plans.

According to the union, 91.42 percent of participating members voted in favor of the deal, while 8.58 percent opposed it. Voter turnout reached 19.25 percent of eligible members.

The ratification finalizes an agreement reached in early May between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), bringing to a close a relatively smooth bargaining cycle compared to the highly contentious 2023 negotiations that resulted in a 118-day strike over streaming compensation and generative AI concerns.

SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin hailed the outcome as a significant step forward for performers.

“I’m proud of our SAG-AFTRA membership and the strength they continue to show when we move together with a shared purpose. This agreement builds on the foundation members fought to establish and carries that work into the next chapter of our industry. It delivers meaningful gains in compensation, strengthens protections around artificial intelligence and digital identity, reinforces the long-term security of members’ benefit plans and recognizes the realities of how performers work today,” said the President.

Astin added, “Our members have always understood that protecting the future of this profession means preparing for change before it arrives. This agreement reflects that commitment and the collective power of this union.”

One of the most notable achievements in the new agreement is the planned merger of SAG-AFTRA’s two pension plans, which have remained separate since the 2012 merger of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

Artificial intelligence was another major focus during negotiations. Under the new contract, producers may use AI-generated synthetic performers only when they provide “significant additional value” to a production. The agreement also establishes minimum payment requirements and residual structures for independently created digital replicas, which combine human performances with generative AI technology.

In addition, companies will be required to demonstrate an “articulable business reason” before scanning performers to create digital replicas.

On the compensation front, the agreement includes annual minimum wage increases of 3 percent throughout the four-year term. It also raises health plan contribution rates by 1 percent beginning July 1 and includes recommended adjustments to health coverage requirements and eligibility thresholds in response to rising healthcare costs.

The contract also addresses the emerging microdrama sector, allowing the union to begin negotiating terms and conditions if companies move beyond experimental production and begin creating short-form projects on a larger commercial scale.

SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said the union used the studios’ desire for a longer-term agreement to secure additional gains.

“Obviously the companies really wanted a longer term,” Crabtree-Ireland said. “What can we maybe achieve that we wouldn’t have otherwise been able to if we entertain that idea? And that’s how we ultimately ended up there,” he added.

Crabtree-Ireland led negotiations for the union, while Greg Hessinger, president of the AMPTP, headed talks for the studios and streamers.

Following the ratification vote, the AMPTP praised the collaborative tone of the negotiations, said “SAG-AFTRA’s leadership brought a genuine commitment to partnership, and together with the WGA agreement, these deals demonstrate what is possible when the industry works toward practical solutions that support its long-term stability.”

The organization added, “We look forward to building on that momentum.”

The agreement provides labor stability for Hollywood at a time when the industry continues to adapt to rapid technological change, evolving streaming economics and the growing influence of artificial intelligence in film and television production. With the contract now approved, both performers and studios enter a new four-year period aimed at balancing innovation with protections for creative workers.