SAG-AFTRA’s Strike-Ending Deal Wasn’t Finalized Until Hours Before Its Approval

Available to WrapPRO members

Insiders say the final days of negotiations were filled with uncertainty, pressure – and a lot of lawyers

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher and National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland
SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher and National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Late last Tuesday, 27 members of the actor’s negotiating committee — with another 18 on Zoom — huddled for a third straight day at the SAG-AFTRA headquarters in Los Angeles to meticulously review the “best, last and final offer” from the Hollywood studios.

As the committee prepared to vote on whether to approve the deal and declare the 117-day actors strike over, David Jolliffe, a 25-year veteran of SAG-AFTRA contract negotiations, urged president Fran Drescher to wait just one more day. The key compromise on streaming compensation made with studio executives, he implored, needed to be locked in before any vote could be made.

Comments