SNL Editors, NBC Reach Tentative Agreement; April 1st Strike Averted

So it looks like host Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) and musical guest Lil Yachty won’t have a strike to worry about as they head into the April 1st edition of NBC’s Saturday Night Live. SNL’s post-production editors have reportedly reached a tentative agreement with NBC to avert what would’ve been the first show-specific strike in nearly a half-century. If ratified, the three-year deal will see pay increases of up to 60% over the course of the contract (along with immediate pay increases). In addition, the deal is expected to offer workers healthcare benefits, ratification bonuses, guarantees of employer-paid meals, and transportation & hotel accommodations for employees working long shifts with short turnarounds.

“We are thrilled to have reached this tentative deal,” said Cathy Repola, National Executive Director of Motion Picture Editors Guild (MPEG). “Thanks to the tremendous resolve of the crew, we reached a deal that represents real achievement in each of the areas our members identified as key, including dramatic improvements in wages. We’ll defer detailed public discussion of the terms until after our negotiators have had a chance to meet with the full crew to review the deal and hold a ratification vote.”

NBC’s SNL Season 48 includes Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Marcello Hernandez, James Austin Johnson, Punkie Johnson, Colin Jost, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Cecily Strong, Kenan Thompson, Devon Walker, and Bowen Yang. Executive produced by Michaels, SNL is directed by Liz Patrick, with alum Darrell Hammond announcing. Based out of Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center, the long-running late-night sketch comedy/music series is produced by SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video.