Talking to SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and president Sean Astin in 2026, it’s easy to forget that their union waged a painful, prolonged strike just three years earlier. After emerging from a months-long negotiation with studios and streamers, the pair are complimentary of the studios’ approach under new president Greg Hessinger. Astin asserts that negotiations don’t always have to include brinksmanship. They describe how they leveraged the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ desire for a longer deal term to get AI protections for members and a long-awaited merger for separate pension plans. No taunts aimed at company CEOs or themed picket lines necessary, like during their 2023 strike. “Obviously the companies really wanted a longer term,” says Crabtree-Ireland, who is also the union’s national executive director. “What can we maybe achieve that we wouldn’t have otherwise been able to if we entertain that idea?…