Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1280987
The agreement becomes effective retroactive to July 1, 2020, and expires June 30, 2023. "I am grateful for the many members who got involved and used their voices to help set the priorities for these contracts," said Carteris. "These forward-thinking contracts address the changing realities of our business, and positions everyone in our union to benefit from higher wages and increased protections, all while preserving and enhancing opportunities for actors to have a professional career." The new contracts position us for growth and align our formulas for the future, while protecting members whose work is in exhibition under our current agreements. "I'm thankful the members voted up the contract," said SAG-AFTRA Vice President, Actors/Performers and Negotiating Committee member William Charlton. "It's humbling to serve on the Negotiating Committee and know the responsibility we hold to our membership. I'm honored to be of service to our union, along with a team of powerful, dedicated performers led by strategic and smart negotiators. I'm a journeyman actor, I rely on our contracts to make a living." SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator David White praised the work of the Negotiating Committee and members who provided input during the wages and working conditions process. "Your voices were critical to achieving the important gains we made in this agreement." The new agreements guarantee substantial raises, while providing unprecedented increases to the contribution rate to SAG-AFTRA health and pension/retirement funds: a total projected funding increase of $97 million to the benefit plans for the next three years, including a $54 million increase for the health plan. The union achieved transformative gains in residuals paid for high-budget subscription streaming, which specifically address the realities of a changing business model. And, among other gains, we achieved enhanced improvements to provisions governing nudity, simulated sex and sexual harassment for all performers, including background; additional protection of the overtime provisions for weekly stunt performers on episodic productions; and an increase to the background count in episodic television in the West Coast zones in the second year of the contract. "I'm particularly excited about the changes in high-budget SVOD residuals," said National Board member and TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee member Linda Powell. "The percentage increases are, of course, great. But I also celebrate the structural changes to foreign residuals, to the grandfathering rules, to the budget thresholds; these are major improvements to the bones of the contract." Essentially, we were negotiating for our future, and we did it. — SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris, who also served as the national chair of the Television/Theatrical Negotiating Committee.