Intimacy coordinators now have a union contract.
On Thursday the SAG-AFTRA national board unanimously ratified a deal reached with major studios and streamers in early December.
The first-ever agreement for these workers, who choreograph and coordinate intimate and nude scenes in entertainment, takes effect on February 22, 2026. The contract applies to new scripted films and television series that start production after that time.
The contract establishes minimum wage rates for daily and weekly work and inducts intimacy coordinators into the union health and pension plans. The agreement aligns intimacy coordinators’ wage increases and benefits contributions with the union’s “Basic Agreement,” which applies to film and television performers.
The deal codifies overtime rules, meal breaks, travel provisions and liquidated damages for late payment of wages. Under the agreement, intimacy coordinators are additionally given access to material for their work including performers’ nudity/simulated sex riders and studio rules for such scenes. Intimacy coordinators are also guaranteed the ability to watch performances of intimate scenes.
Intimacy coordinator negotiating committee chair Alicia Rodis called the development a “transformative step for our profession.” Rodis added, “We love this work and believe deeply in its importance, and this agreement helps ensure that those doing it can build long-term careers in a safe and supportive environment.”
The ratification arrives a little over a year after intimacy coordinators unanimously voted to join SAG-AFTRA in a National Labor Relations Board election. Organizing intimacy coordinators described a desire to standardize their wages and benefits with the effort.
“This first contract recognizes [intimacy coordinators’] professionalism, expertise, and indispensable role in creating respectful and safe working environments,” SAG-AFTRA national executive director and chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, said in a statement. “It is a meaningful acknowledgment of work that has too often been invisible, and which now takes its rightful place on stage.”
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which negotiated the deal on behalf of studios and streamers, lauded the union for being a “true partner” through the bargaining process. The group stated that the agreement “supports long-term career sustainability for both its [the union’s] members and the industry.”
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