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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Hollywood writers’ deal explained
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.
Business
Energy bills to rise again from January but spring falls to come, research firm Cornwall Insight forecasts
Energy bills are to rise again next year, according to a respected forecaster.
Costs from January to March are projected to rise another 1% to £1,736 a year for the average user, according to research firm Cornwall Insight.
The energy price cap, which sets a limit on how much companies can charge per unit of electricity, is also expected to rise, costing typical households an extra £19 a year.
It’s a further increase after energy costs rose 10% from October.
After the latest hike, there were hopes of a fall in the new year, but volatile wholesale gas and electricity markets are still above historic average costs.
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Prices have gone up due to supply concerns arising from Russia‘s war in Ukraine, and maintenance of Norwegian gas infrastructure.
But spring is expected to herald a reduction as is October 2025, Cornwall Insight said.
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‘Energy prices make me depressed’, pensioner Roy Roots said in August
Every three months energy regulator Ofgem revises the cap based on wholesale costs.
The official January price cap announcement will be made on Friday.
It comes as millions of pensioners lost their automatic winter fuel allowance payment after the government means-tested the benefit.
Meanwhile, Cornwall Insight’s principal consultant Dr Craig Lowrey warned “millions” of households won’t heat their homes to “recommended temperatures, risking serious health consequences” with bills on the rise.
“With it being widely accepted that high prices are here to stay, we need to see action,” he said, suggesting options like cheaper rates for low-income homes, benefit restructuring, or other targeted support for the vulnerable “must be seriously considered”.
The energy price cap system is being reviewed by Ofgem with possible changes to the standing charge coming over the next year.
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The long-lasting solution to high energy bills is the transition to UK-produced renewable power, the firm said.
“While there will be upfront costs, this shift is essential to building a sustainable and secure energy system for the future.”
The owners of Scotland’s only oil refinery have rejected a US-led approach about a possible bid for it months before its scheduled closure.
Sky News has learnt that a consortium said to be led by Robert McKee, an American energy industry veteran, wrote to Petroineos, the owner of the Grangemouth site, to express an interest in buying it.
The approach, which is understood to have been made earlier this month, was rejected by Petroineos, which is 50%-owned by the petrochemicals empire founded by the Manchester United FC shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The consortium is understood to comprise The Canal Group, which is reportedly developing a green energy refinery in Texas, and Trading Stack, a Middle East-based commodities trader.
Mr McKee spent nearly four decades with ConocoPhillips, one of the biggest energy companies in the US.
Sources close to the situation said that Petroineos had rebuffed the offer in order to concentrate on a publicly announced plan to transform the century-old plant into a finished fuels import terminal.
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They added that the nature of the consortium’s approach had raised questions about its access to financing and expertise in operating an asset of this kind.
The Grangemouth refinery, which employs about 450 people, loses about £200m annually.
Its other shareholder is the state-backed Chinese energy giant PetroChina.
The site is due to close next year.
A person close to the consortium insisted that its financing was robust and said it would assess the feasibility of building a new refinery elsewhere in the area.
They added that the consortium had had “positive interactions” with trade union officials, and believed that there was scope to rapidly make Grangemouth’s refinery operations profitable.
On Monday, a spokesman for Petroineos said: “Since the Petroineos joint venture was formed 13 years ago, our shareholders have invested nearly £1bn in the refinery, only to absorb losses of £600m.
“Last week, the refinery lost £385,000 on average each day and we expect to lose more than £150m in total during the course of this year.
“We have not received any credible or viable bids for the refinery.”
A spokesman for the consortium declined to comment.
Cineworld’s hedge fund backers are drawing up plans to return the cinema operator to the public markets amid continuing uncertainty about the future of dozens of its British sites.
Sky News has learnt that the company’s owners are at the early stages of considering a New York listing for the business, with the first half of 2026 considered a likely window for it to take place.
City insiders said that a flotation was likely to encompass Cineworld’s operations outside the UK, with the group’s board expected to consider a sale of the British operations at some point.
They cautioned, however, that no decisions had been reached and would not be for some time.
The fate of Cineworld’s business in the UK has been mired in uncertainty for months, with the company initially exploring a sale of it before turning to a restructuring plan which compromises many of its landlords and other creditors.
It has announced the permanent closure of six sites, but it emerged last month that nearly 20 more were at risk of being shut amid ongoing talks with property owners.
The restructuring plan is due to complete later this month, which some landlords have opposed over the fairness of its terms.
Documents circulated as part of the restructuring plan process highlighted the fact that the company did not have sufficient funding to meet a quarterly rent bill on June 24 of £15.9m.
“Absent this funding, the UK Group would have been insolvent on a cashflow basis,” they said.
Other cinema operators, such as Odeon, are now poised to step in to take over small numbers of Cineworld’s other sites.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The company trades from more than 100 locations in Britain, including at the Picturehouse chain, and employs thousands of people.
Cineworld grew under the leadership of the Greidinger family into a global giant of the industry, acquiring chains including Regal in the US in 2018 and the British company of the same name four years earlier.
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Its multibillion-dollar debt mountain led it into crisis, though, and forced the company into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2022.
It delisted from the London Stock Exchange in August 2023, having seen its share price collapse.
In addition to the UK, Cineworld also operates in central and Eastern Europe, Israel and the US.
Cineworld has been contacted for comment.
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