SAG National Board of Directors Unanimously Recommends Member Ratification of New Industrial and Education Contract

Announces Launch of Public Beta Test for New Online Application for Producers to Sign SAG New Media, Industrial, Student, Short and Ultra-Low Budget Agreements

Los Angeles (May 1, 2011) -- The Screen Actors Guild National Board of Directors on April 30 unanimously recommended member ratification of a successor agreement to the Producers-Screen Actors Guild Non-Broadcast/Industrial/Educational Contracts.

The contract, which is jointly negotiated with AFTRA’s National Code of Fair Practice for Non-Broadcast Industrial/Educational Recorded Material, will be sent out along with the AFTRA Code for ratification by the membership of both unions by mailed ballot. AFTRA’s Administrative Committee recommended ratification of the tentative agreement earlier in the week.

If the new agreement is ratified, the contract will be renamed the “Producers-Screen Actors Guild 2011 Corporate/Educational and Non-Broadcast Contracts” to better reflect the nature of the programming it covers.

Other terms include:

·  The addition of specific coverage for and a definition of programming for “New Media.”  Previously jurisdiction of New Media was not clearly set out in the contracts.

·  All minimum rates shall be increased by 2% effective May 1, 2011, and by another 2% effective November 1, 2012.

·  A 0.2% increase in the total contributions to the SAG Pension and the Health Plans and AFTRA Health and Retirement Funds, for a total contribution rate of 15.5%.

·  Specific language added to permit 0.3% contribution to the AFTRA-Industry Cooperative Fund (AICF).

·  The establishment of a committee composed of Industry and union representatives to restructure and simplify the Agreements, as well as other contract improvements included in the attached Summary.


“This deal provides solid gains for our members while better positioning us to attract producers and organize work under this contract,” said SAG Deputy National Executive Director for Contracts Ray Rodriguez. “Our members have been loud and clear that they would like to see work under this contract increase and we believe this deal provides a terrific launching pad for that effort.”

Ballots will be mailed to eligible voters on May 9 and must be returned, via U.S. mail, to the assigned post office box in Everett, Wash., no later than 5 p.m. (PST) June 8, 2011.

In other business, the Board approved the fiscal year 2012 budget and received an update from National Secretary-Treasurer Amy Aquino who reported that the Guild is tracking on budget for the fiscal year. The Board will receive its annual fiscal year-end report at its scheduled meeting in July.

National Executive Director David White updated the board on the progress of several key strategic initiatives including the Guild’s new online signatory application and Production Center.  Online signatory debuted in public beta release on Wednesday, April 27, and has so far signed nearly 200 producers to Screen Actors Guild new media, industrial, student, short and ultra low-budget agreements.

In addition, the production center now hosts streamlined, simplified and modernized documents and forms. Over the course of several months, Guild staff updated more than 200 production documents and forms, many now fillable PDFs and located at www.sag.org/production-center/documents.

White also introduced SAG’s new Executive Director of Industry Relations and Organizing Deborah Skelly and updated the board on SAG’s organizing program.

The meeting adjourned at 12:50 p.m.

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About SAG
Screen Actors Guild is the nation's largest labor union representing working actors. Established in 1933, SAG has a rich history in the American labor movement, from standing up to studios to break long-term engagement contracts in the 1940s to fighting for artists' rights amid the digital revolution sweeping the entertainment industry in the 21st century.With 20 Branches nationwide, SAG represents more than 125,000 actors who work in film and digital motion pictures and television programs, commercials, video games, industrials, Internet and all new media formats. The Guild exists toenhance actors' working conditions, compensation and benefits and to be a powerful, unified voice on behalf of artists' rights. SAG is a proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO. Headquartered in Los Angeles, you can visit SAG online at SAG.org.