Working Conditions & Wage Reform

1. Work to improve the terms of all contracts in addition to the TV/Theatrical and Net-code agreements.

2. Explore options to develop a national collective bargaining agreement for broadcasters that reflects the differences between small, mid-sized, and large markets.  

3. Limit the addition of side-letters for new SVOD platforms in future contract negotiations.    

4. Enforce the current language of our contracts that states performers should be compensated for auditions, and implement additional language that also covers self-tape auditions.

5. Achieve new contractual gains for voiceover artist that reflect the transition to more at-home recording sessions that require voiceover artist to have professional grade equipment and software to record and edit content.     

6. Develop stricter penalties and better enforcement policies and procedures for late payments of session fees and residuals. 

   • SAG-AFTRA failed to negotiate penalties and enforcement procedures for pre-employment COVID testing in the Return to Work Agreement, resulting in many SAG-AFTRA members having to file claims only to receive unpenalized late payments. 

7. Improved contract enforcement for issues that stunt performers face on a regular basis.  Including but not limited to: Receiving a contract for each episode when shooting multiple episodes on the same day, Residuals for riggers and water safety, providing writers in advance, not using erasable writing devices on the G form, and providing a copy of your contract on the day you work.

8. Actively pursue contractual coverage for background actors in new contracts.

9. Achieve contractual gains in wages and an increase for to the background count for the X-II (NY) section of the TV/Theatrical contact.  

   • Since returning to work in 2020, many episodic productions in NY have carried background artist and stand-ins for the duration of filming.  Carrying background and stand-ins addition to expenses for COVID testing, prove the funding needed to increase the background count or achieve a larger base rate will be available when testing is no longer necessary. ​

10. Explore options and potential benefits of reallocating “wage diversion” contributions to P&H plans in years two and three of TV/Theatrical Contracts and direct those contributions toward creating more jobs for working-class members. (Increasing the counts in X-I and X-II contracts for background artists).  Creating more jobs could result in a greater amount of contributions for the health and pension plans in the long run. 

11. Explore options to unify the X-I and X-II sections of the TV/Theatrical contract with regard to the number of covered performers, premiums, adjustments, penalties, and allowances. 

12. Explore options to implement contractual language that establish caps on the percentage of commission agent can from performer wages.  Professional sports leagues like the NFL, NBA, and NHL have caps of 3%, 4%, and 6% respectively.  Many talent agents in the entertainment industry take between a 10-20% commission. 

13. ​Negotiate equal standards & protections for all members in the area of nudity and hyper-exposed work, regardless of whether they are working under a contract as principal and stunt performers or working as background actors.  

14. Add the position of “Intimacy Coordinator” to the codified agreements. And establish “Intimacy Coordinator” as a covered position under all SAG-AFTRA contracts and include contributions to the health and pension plans for their employment.

15. Better define what a “closed set” is.  Establish strict standards for the number of necessary individuals that are needed on a closed set when performing hyper exposed work. (I.e., Nudity, simulated sex, etc.)