The SAG-AFTRA president breaks down the biggest hurdles in reaching an agreement and tells ET what we can expect next.
After nearly 17 weeks on the picket lines, the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) struck a tentative deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents the studios and streamers that produce a vast majority of filmed content.
On Wednesday, ET confirmed that the two groups reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract, officially ending the actors' strike on Thursday. The contract would boost minimum pay for members, increase residual payments for shows streamed online, bolster contributions to the union's health and pension plans, and establish new rules for the use of artificial intelligence.
The agreement next goes to the SAG-AFTRA national board for approval on Friday. The tentative deal was struck six weeks after the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike officially ended.
Celebrating the win after months of negotiations, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher tells ET that she feels "very relieved and kind of tired, but a good tired, because we did a job well done."
Drescher, who was recently reelected, and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland were at the heart of the strike and the talks with Netflix's Ted Sarandos, Disney's Bob Iger, NBCUniversal's Donna Langley and Warner Bros Discovery's David Zaslav.
"The proof's in this contract and it was a herculean task. It was kind of a David and Goliath story, and you know how that ended," the Nanny alum quips. "So we feel very, very grateful, but also thankful to the AMPTP, because once they understood the seriousness of our proposal, and that put it in the context of the historical moment that we were in, and the necessity for a seminal contract, they met the moment."
On July 13, Hollywood's actors made history by officially going on strike and joining the writers already on the picket line after negotiations between the actors' union and major Hollywood studios and streamers fell through. The move marked the first time in 63 years that Hollywood's writers and actors have joined in a strike together.
Negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP began in earnest on June 7, with the original contract expiring Friday, June 30 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time. An extension was granted until July 12 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time.
Shortly after the current contract expired, Drescher and Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, national executive director/chief negotiator, issued a statement to SAG-AFTRA members, saying the AMPTP's response to their proposals for a fair agreement "have not been adequate." They also announced that the negotiating committee had voted unanimously to recommend a strike, passing their recommendation along to the national board.
The actors' strike effectively shut down Hollywood, as nearly all productions -- save for non-union or unscripted projects -- were shuttered until a resolution was reached.
"In the end it was no longer about money," Drescher says of negotiations. "It was the protections that we couldn't really accept the deal that we had gained without fully having the protections that we need, particularly with AI, because in the world of AI, every three months is equivalent to a year, and there was no room for loopholes."
The agreed-upon contract is one that will protect the background players as much as the George Clooneys and the Meryl Streeps of the industry.
Drescher explains, "First of all, everybody, no matter who you are, must give consent that never existed before. That's huge. Consenting compensation was a tremendous part of our need to close this deal and, of course, the most recognizable members of our union are at risk of being duplicated."
"But at the opposite end of the spectrum, the background [actor] was in the same jeopardy, and everybody was in jeopardy of becoming useless and squeezed out of their livelihood, [which] had to be stopped. That was a wild pony that needed a saddle, and the reins pulled in ASAP," she adds.
To Drescher, the last 119 days have become about more than the WGA and SAG. "We started a labor movement. And once we did, you saw how many strikes happened everywhere. I think that we started a conversation that gave everybody a lot of energy and conviction and strength to get out there and fight for what they deserve," she tells ET.
Referencing the words of Frederick Douglass, Drescher adds, "'Power concedes nothing without demand. It never [did,] and it never will.' And that's why we need unions."
"I'm just glad that the climate of the nation is pivoting towards becoming more and more pro-union because, until workers come together, it's very hard to get the big businesses to yield to a deal that they need to live their lives, to put food on their table, clothes on the backs of their kids and pay their rent," she notes.
"And that's who we've been fighting for, because, as you know you know, 86 percent of my members can't even make the $26,474 threshold to make their health benefit. And those people, and then those who are just above that, are our journeymen who make a living at it. They have to pound the pavement to get that job and be treated with respect and honor... I'm hoping that through this negotiation, we are opening a conversation whereby empathy and spirituality become part of the harmony that makes for every decision-making in business."
While actors, writers and other industry folk celebrate the strike's end and returning to work, Drescher is already eyeing her next historic project. "The groundbreaking Green Council, which collaborates with the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and all of our sister unions [for] one mission -- to create eco-responsible entertainment. And the first mission is going to be the elimination of single-use plastic on-camera, behind the scenes and in the homes of viewers around the world," she reveals to ET. "So that's another big vision I have, and it's coming together. And I'm excited about it!"
Drescher notes that there are still other issues within the union to work on, as she's aiming to "get our member body as healthy as possible."
But most importantly? The union president is eyeing a little vacation.
RELATED CONTENT:
