SAG-AFTRA members have voted overwhelmingly to ratify a brand new Community Tv Code, which generates greater than $200 million a 12 months in lined earnings for members engaged on practically all non-primetime and all non-dramatic primetime tv reveals, in addition to digital media. The vote was 94.67% in favor of ratification.
The brand new settlement with the main tv broadcast networks and different producers covers morning information reveals, speak reveals, cleaning soap operas, selection, actuality, recreation reveals, sports activities and promotional bulletins. Present applications lined embody Good Morning America, The Younger and the Stressed, Jeopardy!, Saturday Evening Dwell, The Voice, So You Suppose You Can Dance, Final Week Tonight with John Oliver, the Academy Awards and the Tremendous Bowl.
“This settlement is a step towards elevating our consciousness and sensitivity concerning protected areas for performers on set,” stated SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher. “That may be a huge, transformative win. I additionally am happy that our negotiators made significant positive factors with new compensation and improved protections for our members.”
“This settlement was a direct product of member engagement and involvement, stated Duncan Crabtree-Eire, the union’s nationwide government director. “It achieved positive factors in quite a lot of key areas that members stated have been most necessary to them, together with for dancers, singers, promo announcers and stand-ins, amongst others. And reaching these positive factors was made doable due to the exhausting work of the Negotiating Committee, member leaders and employees.”
Highlights of the brand new contact, the union says, embody:
• Common wage will increase of three% per 12 months retroactive to July 1, 2021, relevant to most charges.
• A 1% profit fund contribution charge improve cut up 60% to the SAG-AFTRA Well being Plan and 40% to the AFTRA Retirement Fund.
• For primetime award reveals and leisure specials, producers at the moment are required to supply transportation to and lodging at broadcast facilities in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C., that are presently exceptions to transportation and lodging obligations for every type of programming.
• Required lodging or transportation when exhaustion or inclement climate forestall protected driving.
• “Tremendously improved” nudity and simulated intercourse provisions that match the achievements made within the 2020 TV/Theatrical Contracts negotiation.
• “Substantial will increase” for dancers on primetime selection reveals and award reveals within the additional rehearsal charge (from $30 to $40) and extra time charges (from $45 for primetime selection and $48 for award present rehearsal days to $55 for each), together with a brand new $70 extra time charge for hours in extra of 12 in a day.
• Discover of licensed rehearsals required to be given to dancers to allow dancers and the union “to floor and resolve disputes over whether or not rehearsals are lined.”
• Singers now obtain doubling pay at 50% of the relevant dancer program charge when required to be taught “advanced choreography.”
• The place there are greater than two weeks of rehearsal for an awards present or primetime leisure particular, rehearsal pay is due biweekly as an alternative of after present day.
• First-ever requirement to pay scale — set on the identical as conventional media scale — for promotional bulletins made for brand spanking new media with a further 15% due to be used past 13 weeks.
• First-ever requirement of extra compensation — set at 15% of minimal charge — for reuse past 13 weeks of a conventional media promotional announcement reused in new media.
• Automated $14 extra compensation for background actors and stand-ins required to work in artificially generated rain or smoke (excluding natural cigarettes) when not in a position to put on acceptable swim, surf or snow gear.
• Stand-in minimal calls “considerably elevated.”
