SAG-AFTRA reaches tentative deal; DOL says it will decide on overtime rule by end of June; IATSE files labor charges against Kennedy Center

Three fresh labor developments landed on May 5: SAG-AFTRA reached a tentative contract deal with studios, the Labor Department said it will decide by the end of June how to proceed on the Biden-era overtime rule, and IATSE filed unfair labor practice charges against the Kennedy Center.

SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers announced a tentative successor agreement for the 2023 TV/theatrical contracts on May 2. The union said its National Board will review the deal on May 11 before any member ratification process can move ahead.

The tentative agreement covers motion pictures, scripted primetime dramatic television, streaming content and new media. AP reported the deal eased fears of another Hollywood shutdown, though it still needs formal approval.

In Washington, the Labor Department told a federal court on May 5 that it will make a final decision by the end of June on how to proceed with the overtime rule. That update keeps the fate of the Biden-era wage rule unresolved for now, but it gives the court process a clear timetable.

Separately, IATSE said it filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board over the Kennedy Center. The union alleges the center laid off or terminated workers before bargaining over the impact of a planned temporary closure and says the move violated its contract.

The three developments are unrelated legally, but together they show how active the labor calendar remains across entertainment, federal wage policy and union disputes in Washington.

The immediate next steps are a SAG-AFTRA board review on May 11, a DOL decision by June 30 and any response from the Kennedy Center or the NLRB to IATSE's complaint.