US actors’ union agrees deal to end longest strike in Hollywood history
US actors’ union SAG-AFTRA has agreed a “tentative deal” with Hollywood studio bosses to end a 118-day strike.
The longest walkout in the union’s history will end at 12.01am US Pacific time on Thursday following a “unanimous vote”.
The union, which represents around 160,000 members of the industry, has been on strike since 14 July causing major disruption to Hollywood productions.
The deal comes after the union’s negotiating committee spent days deliberating over several items it deemed “essential”, including artificial intelligence.
It followed a “last, best and final” offer from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) – the group representing studios, streaming services and producers in negotiations.
The tentative deal will go to the SAG-AFTRA national board on Friday “for review and consideration”, the union announced.
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However, a statement from the union said it has achieved a deal of “extraordinary scope” in a contract “valued at over one billion dollars”, including protection from the threat of artificial intelligence and “unprecedented provisions for consent and compensation”.
It continued: “We have arrived at a contract that will enable SAG-AFTRA members from every category to build sustainable careers, many thousands of performers now and into the future will benefit from this work.”
Meanwhile, the AMPTP said the tentative agreement “represents a new paradigm”.
It said: “It gives SAG-AFTRA the biggest contract-on-contract gains in the history of the union, including the largest increase in minimum wages in the last 40 years; a brand new residual for streaming programmes; extensive consent and compensation protections in the use of artificial intelligence; and sizeable contract increases on items across the board.”
‘A great occasion’
Appearing on the red carpet at the premiere of The Iron Claw, US actor Zac Efron said he was “so stoked” to go back to work.
“This is great news. I’m so happy that we’re all able to come to an agreement, let’s get back to work,” he said.
US actor Alec Baldwin led a host of famous faces celebrating the news on social media.
He captioned a celebratory Instagram video: “Congratulations to each and every person, on both sides, who are responsible for this great occasion.”
Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer wrote in a post: “Who else is dancing right now? Ready to work now that the strike is over!”
This Is Us star Mandy Moore said on her Instagram story: “Let’s get back to work, friends!
“Thank you SAG-AFTRA negotiators and leadership for getting us over the finish line!!! Gratitude is the attitude!!”
Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis, wrote in an Instagram post: “Perseverance pays off!” following news that a deal had been made.
‘Ripple effects throughout our city’
Los Angeles Mayor, Karen Bass, also shared an official statement describing her gratitude that a “fair agreement” had been reached.
“Those on the line have been the hardest hit during this period and there have been ripple effects throughout our entire city,” she said in a post on Instagram.
“Today’s tentative agreement is going to impact nearly every part of our economy. Now, we must lean in on local production to ensure that our entertainment industry rebounds stronger than ever and our economy is able to get back on its feet.”
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It comes weeks after the union confirmed industry chief executives had “walked away from the bargaining table” after refusing to counter its latest offer, sparking “profound disappointment”.
Hollywood has been at a near-standstill for months following both the actors’ and writers’ strikes.
In September the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which represents more than 11,000 members, agreed to a deal with studio bosses after 146 days on the picket line over issues of pay and the threat of artificial intelligence.
Throughout the strikes, Hollywood stars, including US director Olivia Wilde, and Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis have been keen to show their solidarity on the picket line.
An influential committee of MPs is seeking COVID-19-style financial support for Jaguar Land Rover as it tries to recover from a cyberattack.
After a week of plant closures, the Committee for Business and Trade has written to the chancellor, asking her what is being offered to the carmaker “to mitigate the risk of significant, long-term commercial damage to affected firms”.
The 34,000 UK workers of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) are to remain at home until at least next week after a cyberattack discovered last week halted operations.
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Staff are still being paid from JLR sites in Halewood, Merseyside, and Solihull and Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, but the entire economy around the West Midlands is affected.
JLR suppliers Evtec, WHS Plastics, SurTec and OPmobility have had to temporarily lay off roughly 6,000 staff.
Operations could be disrupted for “most of September” or worse, according to a report from The Sunday Times.
On Thursday, Business and Trade Committee chair Liam Byrne wrote to Chancellor Rachel Reeves, saying: “Firms across the supply chain are now warning the committee of disruption to both upstream and downstream businesses.
“This disruption, we are told, may imminently pose very significant risks to cashflow.”
Intervention, akin to the emergency steps taken to secure British Steel production, is suggested by Mr Byrne to “protect sovereign areas of strength in the UK’s industrial, scientific and technological base”.
A group of English-speaking hackers claimed responsibility for the JLR attack via a Telegram platform called Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters, an amalgamation of the names of hacking groups Scattered Spider, Lapsus$ and ShinyHunters.
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Four arrested over M&S, Co-Op and Harrods cyber attacks
Scattered Spider, a loose group of relatively young hackers, were behind the Co-Op, Harrods and M&S attacks.
Four people were arrested for their suspected involvement in the April attacks and have been bailed.
The Marks & Spencer (M&S) executive responsible for its technology function is leaving the retailer months after a devastating cyber attack which disrupted its systems at a cost of hundreds of millions of pounds.
Sky News has learnt that Rachel Higham, M&S‘s chief digital and technology officer, is leaving the company.
A former WPP and BT Group executive, Ms Higham was hired by M&S early last year.
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Her departure was announced in an internal memo circulated on Thursday.
In it, the company said she was “stepping back from her role”.
“Rachel has been a steady hand and calm head at an extraordinary time for the business, and we wish her well for the future”.
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The April cyber attack on M&S, which was conducted by a group called Scattered Spider, brought its online operations to a halt, underlining the growing threat posed by such incidents.
Its click-and-collect service is now back up and running, and the retailer expects part of its costs to be covered by insurance.
M&S said early last month that it was not looking to replace Ms Higham following an enquiry from Sky News.
It was unclear who would succeed her in the role or whether she would be eligible for a payoff.
An M&S spokeswoman confirmed on Thursday that the memo was genuine but refused to comment further.
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