A Message from the Nashville Local President

Hello SAG-AFTRA Nashville Member,

I hope this finds you well and as happy as you can be considering our strange circumstances. By now, I’m sure you’re probably aware that SAG-AFTRA has reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP on a new TV/Theatrical contract. Last week, our National Board approved the new agreement by a 67.61% to 32.39% super majority. It is now up to a vote of the membership to ratify the agreement. You can find the 2020 TV/Theatrical Referendum here. Read about the many important gains we managed to achieve and, hopefully, join me, your local president, in voting YES.

Our negotiators focused on the future, achieving a 26% increase in fixed domestic streaming residuals in high budget streaming video on demand (SVOD). As the model of how we access our entertainment continues to evolve, we’ve changed our approach by moving away from the quickly decreasing revenue stream provided by the syndication/rerun model of conventional television to the worldwide multiplatform SVOD model. And since foreign SVOD rates are linked to the domestic formula, we’ll see a significant increase in this rapidly growing market.

There will be a projected $97 million increase in the next three years to our health and pension plans, keeping them strong.

Revisions have been made to the nudity, simulated sex and sexual harassment provisions that establish concrete rules to prevent abuse from happening in the first place.

This referendum will give you a detailed explanation of the new deal. And, please, join us for the online informational meeting for locals to discuss details of the contract this Tuesday, July 14, at 4 p.m. Click here for details and to RSVP.

All eligible members were mailed a postcard on July 1 with a PIN number and instructions on how to vote online or how to request a paper ballot. If you don’t have your PIN, you may retrieve it at the voting website. Whether submitted online or by mail, ballots must be received by 5 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, July 22, 2020.

I hope you’ll join me in voting YES!

Please be careful and patient, as Nashville tries to find its way to some semblance of normal. Here’s hoping we can find ourselves on a stage, behind a mic or in front of a camera soon. We’re here to help anyway we can. Stay safe.

In solidarity,

Mike Montgomery
President, SAG-AFTRA Nashville Local