SAG-AFTRA Members Approve 2026 TV/Theatrical Deal With Raises, AI Protections and Pension Merger

SAG-AFTRA said early Friday that members approved the 2026 TV/Theatrical Contracts tentative agreement, locking in a new four-year Hollywood film and television deal with wage increases, tighter artificial-intelligence protections and a planned merger of the union’s two retirement plans.

As of the public materials available at the time of reporting, however, SAG-AFTRA had announced approval but had not publicly posted a certified numerical vote breakdown. No percentage in favor, turnout figure or election-vendor certification was publicly available in the materials reviewed.

The union’s public confirmation came in a June 5 Bluesky post stating, “SAG-AFTRA Members Approve 2026 TV/Theatrical Contracts Tentative Agreement.” SAG-AFTRA represents about 160,000 members.

The tentative agreement was reached May 2 between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the employers’ bargaining group for major studios and streamers. On May 11, the SAG-AFTRA National Board approved the pact and recommended that members vote yes. Voting information and PINs were mailed beginning May 14, and ballots were due by 5 p.m. PDT on June 4.

The contract runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2030. In its public summary, SAG-AFTRA described the package as delivering “over $700 million of improvements.”

Among the headline terms are 12.55% increases to scale minimums over four years, reflecting 3% annual compounded raises. The agreement also includes an additional 1% health plan contribution effective July 1, 2026, improved streaming and subscription-video-on-demand residuals or contributions, a parental leave fund, and expanded coverage and representation for choreographers.

AI and digital replicas were a central issue in the deal. SAG-AFTRA’s summary says 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.’” The union also highlighted protections for minors’ replicas, a safeguard against digital replicas crossing a picket line, and a requirement that producers have an articulable business reason to scan a performer.

Another major provision is a commitment to merge the SAG-Producers Pension Plan and the AFTRA Retirement Fund into a single plan, a long-discussed structural change that SAG-AFTRA included among the agreement’s gains.

The TV/Theatrical contracts govern performers working in motion pictures, scripted television, streaming and new media under AMPTP signatories, making ratification the close of a major bargaining cycle for Hollywood performers. The new agreement succeeds the contract put in place after the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike and was set to expire June 30, 2026.

In SAG-AFTRA material, National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said: “This contract is a testament to the incredible unity and determination of our members, and I am proud to deliver an agreement that results in meaningful gains across the board, from benefit plans to artificial intelligence to residuals, and beyond. … I look forward to seeing these gains locked in for our members.”