Strike in Hollywood: will the actors validate the agreement with the studios?

Will Hollywood be able to put an end to its actors' strike or plunge back into the turmoil that has paralyzed the sector in recent months? This is what is at stake in the vote which will be closed on Tuesday on the validation of the agreement obtained through a hard struggle between studios and actors.

The ratification may well be perceived as a formality, but the players in the sector seem nervous, because the terms of the new collective agreement arouse clear opposition from some of the players, who feel that they are not sufficiently protected against the use of the 'artificial intelligence. “The contract is crap,” explains Michael Vaccaro, who is among the dozens of actors publicly engaged against ratification. “I voted against it. And I am completely ready to resume the strike. Absolutely, 100%,” assured the actor to AFP. “By signing this contract, we gain nothing. By resuming the strike, we can gain a lot.”

The 160,000 actors, stuntmen, dancers and other members of the SAG-AFTRA union have until Tuesday 5 p.m. Los Angeles time (Wednesday 2 a.m. Paris) to vote and ratify the agreement with a simple majority. In the event of refusal, negotiations should resume with the studios. During this time, the actors could also decide to start a new strike.

The opposition, however, only seems to bring together a minority of actors, according to Jonathan Handel. For this lawyer specializing in the entertainment industry, a vote with between 75 and 85% of votes in favor of ratification constitutes “a realistic expectation”.

Concluded after 118 days of strike, the agreement notably includes a significant increase in minimum salaries and a bonus system for actors starring in a film or series that is successful during its streaming.

It also plans to establish safeguards against the use of artificial intelligence (AI), a first. The SAG-AFTRA board of directors approved it in early November by a vote of 86% of its members. Since then, the union has multiplied meetings, emails and publications on social networks to urge its base to do the same. “This is the most lucrative, the most innovative and the most protective contract in the history of entertainment unions,” its president Fran Drescher recently boasted on Instagram.

Despite this strong after-sales service from the star of the series Une Nounou d'Enfer, fears, particularly on questions related to AI, emerged as the details of the agreement were revealed. Performers fear they will soon be replaced by entirely digital “actors,” generated by artificial intelligence by stitching together body parts of many different humans from film archives.

The agreement does not prevent studios from using AI, but it does contain a clause requiring them to notify the union whenever the technology is used. SAG-AFTRA would then have the right to negotiate compensation on behalf of affected actors, even though critics say they would be difficult to identify.

Opponents of ratification also believe that the audience required to generate the payment of a bonus linked to streaming is too high, which would only benefit the best-off players.

“Because of the opposition, people are naturally wondering whether the bill will be adopted, which leads to some nervousness and concern,” says specialist lawyer Jonathan Handel. “But I think it’s very likely that it will pass. It would be very surprising if this were not the case.”

The results of the vote are expected at the end of Tuesday.