On July 14, 2023 the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), went on strike over a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).  Although the strike's central mission was the fair treatment of actors, it also was working for provisions to be made on residual payments and the use of artificial intelligence. Actors in the strike were concerned that AI was possibly being unfairly utilized, using the actors' likeness without compensation. Actors were also angered over the fact that their residual payments were being calculated differently on streaming services. Residuals are a payment that actors receive when their projects are re-aired, like when a show is re-released or when projects are shown on streaming services. In many of these actors' cases, when shows were re-aired on streaming services, their residual payments decreased. “As you know, over the past decade, your compensation has been severely eroded by the rise of the streaming ecosystem,” said Fran Drescher, president of SAG-AFTRA.  

The tensions reached an all time high this past summer. On June 5, SAG-AFTRA approved the strike authorization, and on July 14 the strike officially went into effect. This meant that actors could not engage in film or television productions and could not take part in any promotional activities such as film premiers and events. Strikes and picketing continued throughout July and into September until October 2nd, when SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP met for negotiations. However, this meeting did not reach a successful compromise, and negotiations ceased until October 26th. The meetings continued, and on November 8th SAG-AFTRA released a statement announcing: “We are thrilled and proud to tell you that today your TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee voted unanimously to approve a tentative agreement with the AMPTP. As of 12:01 am on November 9, our strike is officially suspended and all picket locations are closed." Ultimately, this agreement means that actors can expect AMPTP to begin increasing compensation and monitor their usage of AI. 

Although these concessions were excellent for the writers and actors that were a part of these strikes, it did lead to the largest interruption in American film and television production since COVID. Movies and shows may now continue production, though some have delayed release dates due to the recent events. 

Information taken from Today.com, Wikipedia and Harper’s Bazaar.