SAG-AFTRA members have ratified their new film and TV contract, voting 74.2% to 25.8% to approve the three-year deal, with a turnout of 27.15% of the union’s 145,000 voting members.
The vote, which was widely viewed as a referendum on the guild’s leadership, is a major victory for president Gabrielle Carteris and national executive director David White, who touted the deal’s “record-breaking” $318 million in gains. They include a 26% increase in residuals from high-budget streaming shows, $54 million in additional funding for the union’s health plan and added sexual harassment and nude scene protections.
“I am grateful for the many members who got involved and used their voices to help set the priorities for this contract,” said Carteris, who chaired the guild’s negotiating committee. “This is a forward-thinking agreement that builds on the changing realities of the streaming business and positions our union to continue the fight for a safer workplace for all.”
Said White, the union’s chief negotiator: “I want to thank the negotiating committee and the many members who gave their input into this process. Your voices were critical to achieving the important gains we made in this agreement. I also want to recognize the incredible dedication and commitment of our staff who worked so diligently throughout this negotiation.”
The contract faced stiff opposition from the guild’s dissident Membership First faction, with two-thirds of the Los Angeles Local’s board urging members to “vote no,” even though two-thirds of the national board had recommended a “yes vote.” The pact was also opposed by the Time’s Up Foundation, which said that its nudity, simulated sex and harassment protections didn’t go far enough — a claim that the union’s leaders flatly rejected.