SAG-AFTRA Members Ratify TV/Theatrical Contract

The rank and file has voted overwhelmingly to approve the new, three-year contracts covering movie, primetime and basic cable TV production. The balloting was a lopsided 92%-8%. The deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers was hammered out in the wee hours of the Fourth of July after two months of tough bargaining amid a media blackout and three 24-hour extensions after the June 30 deadline. The national board approved it eight days later.

“Once again, we have made history,” SAG-AFTRA President Ken Howard said tonight. “With the approval of the first-ever SAG-AFTRA Television Agreement, we have reached yet another of the goals we set when we merged. I am thankful to all members who participated throughout this process and the dedicated staff of SAG-AFTRA who worked to insure our new contract would usher us into the next generation of entertainment and new media production.”

The AMPTP Said: “We congratulate Ken Howard, David White, the SAG-AFTRA Bargaining Committee and Board for their leadership in achieving ratification of the new theatrical and television agreements. Together, we undertook the historic step of creating a unified television contract and set the stage for expanding market opportunities that benefit both the union and the companies. We look forward to our continued partnership with SAG-AFTRA to address the challenges and complexities of our industry during the term of the new agreements.”

The new contracts — which take effect retroactive to July 1 and run through June 30, 2017 — include:
· Gains of $200 million in wages;
· An 8.5-percent wage increase compounding to 8.7 percent; 2.5 percent in the first year, 3 percent in the second year and 3 percent in the third year;
· Advances in Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) coverage, including a brand-new residual for on-demand viewing;
· Reduction of unpaid online streaming windows for most shows; and
· An increased contribution rate percentage to our benefits plans and a mechanism to facilitate the merger of the health plans.