LOS ANGELES (April 10, 2015) --- SAG-AFTRA has reached a tentative agreement with industry representatives on terms for a three-year agreement to the new National Code of Fair Practice for Corporate/Educational & Non-Broadcast Recorded Material.
The agreement with the Producers Group brings together two legacy SAG and AFTRA contracts for corporate, non-broadcast and educational work, as a result of the merger of the unions in March 2012. The legacy contracts were jointly negotiated in April 2011 and set to expire on April 30, following a one-year extension in 2013. The agreement for a new contract was reached on Wednesday, April 8.
The National Code of Fair Practice for Corporate/Educational & Non-Broadcast Recorded Material covers public relations, sales promotion and training films made for initial use to the general public, schools, conventions, seminars, museums, in retail stores and for Internet use. It also covers audio-only content, such as telephone messages and audio used in consumer products.
The new agreement includes a 3 percent increase immediately in minimum compensation during the term of the agreement and a 3 percent increase on Nov. 1, 2016. The agreement also includes a .5 percent increase to the employer contribution rate to the Health & Retirement Funds on the first day of the new contract, on top of the 3 percent in the first year. The union also achieved gains for background actors in salary and wardrobe fees and raised the first hour of Interactive Voice Recording Phone Prompt Systems (IVR) by almost 80 percent. The Category II program use period was changed from five years to three years, which is a 40 percent decrease in favor of members working under the contract.
“I want to thank Gabrielle Carteris, David Hartley-Margolin and Mike Hodge for their skilled negotiations and leadership,” said SAG-AFTRA President Ken Howard. “This is an important contract for our members and I am pleased that we have again bargained a successful agreement with the Producers Group. I want to also express my gratitude to our talented staff, led by chief negotiator Ray Rodriguez. Congratulations.”
SAG-AFTRA Executive Vice President Gabrielle Carteris served as national chair of the member negotiating committee and SAG-AFTRA’s Chief Contracts Officer Ray Rodriguez served as chief negotiator. SAG-AFTRA Vice President, New York Mike Hodge and SAG-AFTRA Vice President, Small Locals David Hartley-Margolin served as negotiating committee vice-chairs.
“These are significant gains for members on a contract that has not seen much growth in the last few cycles,” Carteris said. “I am so proud to have worked with such a strong committee of leaders and staff. The thoughtfulness and commitment of this negotiating team was exemplary and we look forward to presenting this contract to the National Board for approval.”
“These negotiations were a fluid process thanks to the expertise of our member negotiating committee, as well as the SAG-AFTRA staff members who provided valuable input and resources in order to achieve a successful agreement,” said Rodriguez. “I would also like to commend our industry bargaining partners for their sincerity and constructive approach to negotiations. We are pleased to be able to reach a deal while still building upon and improving our relationships with the folks that help employ our members.”
“We are very pleased to have been able to work out a good agreement for the benefit of the producers, payroll services and the SAG-AFTRA performers across the broad spectrum of the productions covered under this agreement,” said the industry’s Chief Negotiator Lee Gluckman. “The changing face of today's digital and social media always makes this a challenging negotiation.”
Wages and Working Conditions meetings for members were conducted earlier this year across the country.
This tentative agreement will go before the National Board for approval at its April 18-19 meeting.
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