The SAG-AFTRA National Board met yesterday (5/11) in a special videoconference meeting and decisively voted to approve the tentative agreement reached for the 2026 TV/Theatrical Contracts. The agreement will now be submitted to the membership for ratification with the board’s recommendation for a “yes” vote.

The parties have committed to merging the SAG-Producers Pension Plan and AFTRA Retirement Fund into a single merged plan with an additional 1% to the contribution rate effective on the target completion date of January 1, 2028. The merger will increase contribution rates and improve benefits for both SAG and AFTRA participants.

Additionally, the agreement builds on SAG-AFTRA’s existing guidelines around AI including new provisions strengthening consent and compensation and establishing new and enhanced guardrails on synthetics including:

--Agreement to a principle strongly favoring human performances.
--Producers do not intend to use a synthetic in a human role that would otherwise be performed by a human unless the synthetic brings “significant additional value” to the motion picture.
--Performers’ digital replicas are now protected from crossing a picket line during a strike.
--Protections for minors on the use of their digital replica.
--Producers must have an articulable business reason to scan someone for a digital replica.
--Minimum wage rates will increase by 3% annually (compounded) from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2030. The health plan contribution rate will increase by 1% effective July 1, 2026, there will be a one-time increase to the quarterly eligibility premiums, and the earnings thresholds will increase by an additional 1% (at 3% per year instead of 2%) over the... Read More