SAG resumed negotiations in what the industry hopes will avert another crippling strike Wednesday, after AFTRA and studios’ organization reached a tentative three-year deal on the union’s primetime TV contract.
SAG returned to the table May 28 after a three-week break following suspension of formal talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and tV Producers (AMPTP), which began April 15.
AFTRA postponed its talks twice so that SAG could continue with its bargaining. AFTRA-producers’ negotiations started May 7 and reached a tentative agreement early May 28.
In the area of new media, AFTRA struck a similar deal to the WGA and DGA contracts, but like the other unions it was unable to get an increase in the DVD area.
“This is a challenging time in the entertainment industry and this was a tough negotiation,” said AFTRA president Roberta Reardon in a statement.
Out of AFTRA national membership of 70,000, 52,000 are actors. SAG/AFTRA has a combined membership of approximately 4,500 among branches in the six states of Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin and Illinois.
“We recognized the hard realities currently affecting the traditional TV business and we focused on creating framework that would allow union members to participate fully in the emerging new media marketplace.”
The tentative new agreement includes establishing jurisdiction over programs produced for distribution on the Internet and in new media; creating a new residual structure for paid Internet downloads, which will increases current rates, and establish a residual platform for ad-supported streaming and use of clips on the web.
