Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/72909
For Members RECORDINGS CONTRACT RATIFIED M ratified the contract with the major labels on Jan. 30. Affected members voted close to 99 percent in favor of the embers who work under the AFTRA National Code of Fair Practice for Sound Recordings overwhelmingly new deal. The ratification is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2012 and runs through Dec. 31, 2014. The Sound Recordings Code, which originated in 1951 as the Highlights of the contract include: • Increase in base rates by more than 6 percent over the term of the agreement (2-percent increases effective each year of the contract). • Increase in the employer health and retirement contribution rate on royalty income by 1 percent over the life of the agreement. American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA) Phonograph Recording Code, covers session singers, royalty artists, announcers, actors, comedians, narrators and sound effects artists who work on recordings in all new and traditional media and all music formats, in addition to audiobooks, comedy albums and cast albums. The Code generates more than $140 million annually in AFTRA-covered earnings and benefits for both major artists and session singers around the country. Members achieved an increase in base rates, as well as the key objective of increasing employer contributions to the AFTRA Health & Retirement Funds. • Maintained required special employer contributions, which guarantee health insurance benefits for royalty artists on the current "roster" of a label, by increasing the maximum on employer contributions by 30 percent, from $5,000 to $6,500 per year. • Improved and expanded performers' base of participation in revenue from sale of digital downloads. • Succeeded in establishing a new structure of revenue- based payments for new areas of low-budget licenses and licenses for nontraditional usages, such as re-use of recordings in novelty consumer products, which will also enhance compliance and expedite payments to members. MEMBERS OK NETWORK TV CODE P agreement, the Network Television Code "Front of the Book," with the four major television networks on Feb. 22. Members passed the contract, known as the AFTRA National rior to merger, AFTRA members overwhelmingly ratified the former union's largest national collective bargaining Code of Fair Practice for Network Television Broadcasting, 96 percent in favor, achieving their primary objective in this negotiation: a 1-percent increase in employer contributions to the AFTRA Health & Retirement Funds upon ratification, which will bring the total H&R contribution rate to 16.5 percent. The three-year agreement will run retroactively from Nov. 16, 2011 through Nov. 15, 2014. The Network Code was AFTRA's largest national collective space ad bargaining agreement, generating more than $250 million a year in member earnings. The Code covers programming in all television day parts (except for scripted primetime programs on the networks and the CW, which are covered under the AFTRA Exhibit A contract) and programming produced for digital media. Covered programs include dramas in first-run syndication, morning news shows, talk shows, daytime dramas, variety, reality, sports, contest programs, award shows and promotional announcements. Current programs covered by this contract include: Good Morning America, The View, The Price is Right, The Young and the Restless, Saturday Night Live, Jeopardy, Dancing with the Stars, Late Show with David Letterman, The Voice, Amazing Race, Deal or No Deal, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and American Idol, among many others. 15A SAG-AFTRA | Summer 2012 | SAGAFTRA.org Relax. Enjoy. Live. paycheck and make life a little easier. BENEFITS help stretch your 40 W e know you work hard for your money. That's why we've created 40 benefi ts to help you get more out of life. Save on: ● Wireless devices and services. ● Rental cars & family vacations. ● Theme parks, movies, restaurants and more. Get special protections against layoff s, strikes and hardship with a Union Plus Mortgage and learn about fi nancial help available through the Union SAFE grants. For details, visit UnionPlus.org 05/12