SAG-AFTRA talks reopen over AI, pay

SAG-AFTRA talks reopen over AI, pay

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 9 — SAG-AFTRA opened formal talks Monday with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on a new three-year film and TV contract, restarting bargaining less than three years after the 2023 actors strike as both sides say they want stability amid industry upheaval, the Associated Press reported and TheWrap reported.

The union’s current agreement expires June 30, and negotiators have signaled that artificial-intelligence protections, streaming residuals and funding for health and pension plans will be central topics again, according to Deadline, IndieWire and Yahoo Entertainment’s summary.

Stakes: health plans, residuals, AI

Union president Sean Astin said SAG-AFTRA would not give back wage gains or consent requirements for using performers’ likenesses, while the AMPTP said it looks forward to working collaboratively as formal bargaining begins, a message echoed across multiple accounts of the opening sessions, including AP, TheWrap and IndieWire.

Healthcare has emerged as a cross-union priority because employment has fallen and benefit plans have run deficits; entertainment outlets reported that the DGA, WGA and SAG-AFTRA are all expected to press for meaningful funding increases as fewer productions mean fewer contributions, Deadline wrote and TheWrap reported.

What changed since 2023

The talks arrive in a quieter production economy than the peak-streaming years: FilmLA data cited by TheWrap show shoot days in Los Angeles County in 2025 were sharply below 2022 levels, reinforcing worker concerns about a shrinking number of jobs even after the 2023 work stoppages, TheWrap reported.

On compensation, the union is expected to revisit how streaming bonuses and residuals work — a system that was redesigned in 2023 but has drawn criticism as earnings have not matched hopes — while studios are also expected to seek longer contract terms than the traditional three years, IndieWire reported and Yahoo Entertainment reported.

Timeline and strike risk

Both sides have described early sessions as procedural, and entertainment outlets said a media blackout is in place — limiting detailed public readouts unless talks sour — while informal discussions had been underway for months to surface priorities before proposals are exchanged, Deadline reported.

Even with a June 30 expiration date, observers say the next few weeks may simply set the table for more intensive bargaining later in the spring; Astin and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland have said a strike remains possible if terms are not fair, AP reported and Yahoo Entertainment reported.

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