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The 411 On SAG-AFTRA Waivers
With SAG-AFTRA on strike, business in the film industry has by and large come to a freeze. In accordance with union rules, actors that are members of SAG-AFTRA cannot work on film sets or promote movies they’re in that are being released during the strike. But, some actors have been able to continue working as a result of being part of productions that received waivers from SAG. So, what exactly are the waivers being handed out to indie film productions?
Basically, the waivers are interim agreements. By signing these agreements, the production companies are agreeing to retroactively be bound by the eventual agreement that will be made with the demands of strikers being brought to the union bargaining table. These demands include improving hair and makeup standards to better serve actors of color, increasing fines on late payments, and increasing minimum pay. In simple terms, the production companies are agreeing to the demands that the unions are imploring the big studios to enact. Independent studios signing onto these agreements has been noted a positive thing, given the opportunity it presents to demonstrate to larger studios that meeting the demands for better working conditions on film sets is feasible.
it's an Interim Agreement which means the contract they signed meets our demands. It is not a waiver. Everyone please stop using that word. We are not breaking rank, this is GREAT NEWS. Moves like this can cascade and make it domino to big studios.
— SAG Strike Captain Torres? (@iamJeffTorres) July 21, 2023
The studios being granted the interim agreements cannot be connected with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers studios, which includes Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., and Universal Pictures, among others. One notable studio that’s been garnering attention as a result of receiving an interim agreement is A24. While A24 has been the studio behind big hits like Lady Bird, Everything Everywhere All At Once, and Hereditary, they are still considered a smaller film studio and exist outside of the AMPTP. Agreeing to the interim agreement sets a precedent and is something film fans on social media have taken note of.
Did you know SAG-AFTRA is allowing A24 to continue using its actors during the strike because they’ve accepted every single one of SAG-AFTRA’s terms.
— Steve ? Supports the WGA (@SteveRogers1943) July 21, 2023
A small budget film studio can treat its actors and writers fairly, but Disney can’t? It’s all about greed. pic.twitter.com/vYlTgheYVe
It also means that their productions won’t face release delays like productions fortified by AMPTP studios will. A24 received an interim agreement for their upcoming film Mother Mary, which has been filming in Germany throughout the Summer. Featuring Anne Hathaway, Hunter Schafer, Michaela Coel, and Kaia Gerber, the David Lowery, melodrama will tell the story of a fictional musician's relationship with an iconic fashion designer.
For a full list of films that have signed interim agreements with SAG-AFTRA, click here.