Canadian Actors Union “Relieved” at Tentative SAG-AFTRA Deal to End Strike

Etan Vlessing
·2 min read
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The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists is “relieved” over the tentative deal reached by its sister SAG-AFTRA union with the AMPTP, representing major Hollywood studios and streamers.

“We’ve been following SAG-AFTRA’s negotiations closely. Their issues are the same as our issues. Their fight is our fight,” Eleanor Noble, ACTRA national president, said in a statement. The Hollywood actors strike officially ended at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. On Friday, the deal will go to the union’s national board for approval, ahead of a union ratification vote.

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“We look forward to learning the details of the tentative agreement with the AMPTP,” Noble added as the U.S. deal, reached after a 118-day strike, could set the pattern for future Canadian writer-producer contract renewal talks.

ACTRA called its members out on strike in early 2007 after talks with North American producers on a new Canadian labor deal stumbled on the thorny issue of new-media residuals.

“SAG-AFTRA’s collective labor actions have shown the industry that performers will in fact fight in solidarity to get a fair deal for workers. We congratulate SAG-AFTRA for tackling issues performers are facing globally,” Marie Kelly, ACTRA national executive director and lead negotiator, added in her own statement.

The dual Hollywood strikes had Canadian film and TV talent and crews facing American production north of the border slowing to a trickle as a strike as American writers and actors took to picket lines south of the border. U.S. production is now expected to resume in Canada after the major studios and streamers regroup post-strikes.

ACTRA and SAG-AFTRA held two joint solidarity rallies in July and August in Toronto to back the U.S actors in their labor action and to call attention to a long-running commercial lock-out by the Institute of Canadian Agencies, which represents ad agencies.

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