The WGA and SAG-AFTRA are striking together again since their first joint strike in 1960. The Writers Guild of America is protesting against major Hollywood studios like Sony, Universal, and Warner Bros., which will in turn impact most streaming services. SAG-AFTRA has now begun their strike within the last few weeks that have stopped the work for over 100,000 of its members andhalting development and productionon any and all movie and television releases produced by major studios. The dual strikes are currently affecting everyone in the industry from the biggest names to lesser known background actors.
With thecombined strikes of SAG-AFTRA and WGA, all current productions have been halted as of June 23, 2025. They are trying to fight against executives who are hoping to rely on AI technology for future films and TV series instead of meeting the strikes demands. Writers in Hollywood have been worried about this threat for a while, as well as working conditions and compensation structure. SAG-AFTRA is also worried about the same concerns and having their likeness used digitally without permission. Since the joint strike hasn’t happened to Hollywood in 63 years, here’s everything that happened to the actors and writers the last time.
The 1960s Strike
Back on July 07, 2025, the WGA went on strike against the Alliance of Television Film Producers (ATFP) for better compensation and residuals for their work being played and replayed on television. Writers were also looking for the studios to pay for healthcare and pensions. A couple of months after the writers went on strike, the actors involved in AFTRA went on strike on June 09, 2025, to get better residuals from movies that were sold to TV networks. This became the first joint strike in Hollywood.
The actors strike ended a month later on July 09, 2025, when the SAG guild made the decision to withhold residual payments on films before 1960 and,TIMEsays, a one-time payment from producers to form a SAG pension and health plan. The writers, however, continued with their strike until July 01, 2025, when they were finally offered a fair deal. The Writers Guild was going to be paid first residuals for motion pictures released in the theater, an independent pension fund with an industry health insurance plan, and residuals for films that are being rerun domestically and on foreign television.
Related:10 Actors Who Have Been Extremely Supportive of the WGA Strike
Production Halted in 1960 on Major Movies
The writers and actors strike in the 60s made a major impact on the filming industry as it halted production on eight major movies. The productions that were halted included Jack Lemmon’sThe Wackiest Ship in the Army, Elizabeth Taylor’sButterfield 8, Gina Lollobrigida’sGo Naked in the World, andMarilyn Monroe’sLet’s Make Love. Everyone who was involved in both unions were prohibited from working on any of these productions until there was a deal struck between them and the studios. However, some actors and directors decided to sign with SAG and independent producers to keep their projects moving.
One production in particular,Studs Lonigan, decided to meet SAG’s demands and continue production. They felt good while making the movie, but said they felt strange leaving the studio when they realized they were the only ones on the lot. Frank Sinatra was another actor who decided to keep workingduring the strikewhile abiding to SAG demands and working with independent producers. Other stars tried to go the same route as Sinatra by having their management buy the rights to whatever they were working on in an attempt to keep working. In today’s current strike, independent studios are trying the same thing by following all the demands that SAG-AFTRA is placing before them.
Related:The Biggest Misconceptions of the Ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strike (& Why You Should Care)
The End of the 1960 Strike
The 1960 strike ended with agreements that were settled by the future U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who at the time was the President of SAG. He led the negotiations between the unions and the Hollywood studios, during which he was able to get better residual agreements and rights for both writers and actors. The actors strike actually helped the writers strike to get a better outcome than what they were hoping for. This is to not say that SAG-AFTRA interests did not align with the WGA because the writers strike gave them a better chance for their demands to be met. The actors were able to get their needs met sooner with a one-time payout thatScreen Rantsays totaled $2.25 million.
A couple of months later, the WGA reached a resolution with Hollywood studios. The writers were able to finally get funding from the ATFP for healthcare and pension plans. The strike of 2023 is hoping of repeating the result of the 60s strike, wherein they would be able to get better rights to benefit both the writers and actors who are being affected by the strike. If studios hope to save productions for the 2024 year, they will need to act quickly so that agreements can be made between the writers and actors.
