Union Puts SAFETY FIRST in Return-to-Work Plan

The United States continues to struggle with the coronavirus, but as some production begins to restart, SAG-AFTRA is doing everything it can to keep members as safe as possible.

As of the publication of this issue of SAG-AFTRA magazine, the situation with COVID-19 remains in flux. Some states, such as those in the Northeast originally hardest hit, are making significant progress in reducing infections, while those in the South and West have seen massive surges. With uneven responses nationwide, it is unknown when production will return to pre-pandemic activity nationwide.

As the pandemic appeared to briefly flatten and with government officials moving forward with reopening states, the union worked with its partners on the AMPTP’s Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee Task Force to issue a white paper featuring practical back-to-work safety guidelines. This document was shared with government officials in the major production hubs, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

SAG-AFTRA then teamed up with the DGA, IATSE and the Teamsters to issue a joint report, The Safe Way Forward, that contains COVID-19 production safety guidelines for a pre-vaccine world. The document provides employers with a set of science-based protocols that serve as a path to providing a safer workplace. It can be found on the union’s website at sagaftra.org/backtowork, along with in-depth FAQs and much more. There’s also a document containing guidelines to prevent the transmission of disease specific to props, wardrobe, hair and makeup. “The safety of our members remains our priority and we believe these guidelines are a strong start for members being able to get back to work safely,” SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris and National Executive Director David White wrote in a joint letter to members.

“There’s nothing more important than making sure our members are as safe as possible as they return to work and continue working. Our safer reopening protocols are science-based and proactive, and are going to help protect our members from COVID-19 infection, and also help protect productions from outbreaks and shutdowns. Members can be proud of the historic and unprecedented joint effort between SAG-AFTRA and the DGA, IATSE, and Teamsters — using the power of solidarity and collective action to ensure our members receive the best level of protection possible,” said SAG-AFTRA Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.

The Safe Way Forward, which was created with significant input by infectious disease epidemiologists and other experts, concludes that testing is the cornerstone of the safety plan. It notes that without proper testing, cast and crew on set would be working in an environment of unknown risk. By the time symptoms show up, a person could have been spreading the virus for days. A single case could lead to lengthy quarantines and production shutdowns. “As members are making personal decisions about their return to work, SAG-AFTRA, along with all of our union partners, established these guidelines based on the scientific information and the best medical advice. Testing and the zone system are key components of a safer workplace,” said SAG-AFTRA Executive Vice President Rebecca Damon.

Production is to be divided into three zones: A, where cast and crew must work in close proximity without protective gear; B, areas outside the central core, such as a production office, that are related to the shoot but where workers can wear protection; and C, the outside world, places such as homes and hotels, where cast and crew go when they are not working. Anyone moving into zones A or B for the first time must be tested. In addition, people in Zone A are to be tested three times a week, while those in Zone B must be tested at least once a week.

The Safe Way Forward calls for the hiring of a health safety supervisor to enforce and implement COVID-19-related safety practices. The protocols also require a fully staffed Health Safety Department. Its manager would oversee the execution of these directives in conjunction with the directors’ team and other department heads.

“[W]hile films and television shows are important, they do not trump the importance of getting the people who make them safely home to their families or loved ones,” it states. Addressing employers, it says, “[W]e are willing to go to great lengths to ensure a safer environment for all of us. We hope you are as well.”

For all the latest information, visit sagaftra.org/backtowork.

BROADCASTERS PLAN RETURN TO STUDIOS

During the pandemic, broadcasters have had a different set of challenges from their fellow SAG-AFTRA members who are performers. Most have continued to work, some from home and others out in the field, while maintaining social distancing and taking precautions, including following local health orders.

Inevitably, they will need to return to the studio, and SAG-AFTRA is working to ensure safety protocols are in place when they do. SAG-AFTRA is proactively holding labor-management meetings.

A team of broadcast member leaders from both commercial and public media have come together as a working group to collaborate and review best practices for returning to the studio and newsroom. As of this writing, most reporters are going directly to the story and meeting the photographer in the field. In addition, some stations have one anchor reporting from home and one in studio to keep as few staff as possible physically together in the same location.

However, as broadcast members begin to return to the worksite with other staff, including staff represented by other unions, SAG-AFTRA members have put together a toolkit with a Know Your Rights flyer in Spanish and English, sample information to request from employers and a checklist for labor-management meetings.

“SAG-AFTRA’s Industry Hygienist Monona Rossol has been doing this work for decades, and we’re lucky to have her firsthand knowledge at this critical time. As journalists and broadcasters, our jobs truly are essential, now more than ever,” said National Broadcast Steering Committee Vice Chair Cheri Preston.

“It’s important that as our members return to offices and studios, we provide a collective voice to make sure stations address concerns, from office spacing and ventilation to employee testing and child care,” said Guy Marzorati, a shop steward at KQED in San Francisco and a member of the work group. “That process begins by listening to member priorities, as this transition is sure to present a new set of challenges for our colleagues and their families.”

SAG-AFTRA broadcast staff are also involved in the Department of Professional Employees, AFL-CIO, coalition of unions to learn from others, as the unions share the same employers, including CBS, ABC, Fox, Sinclair and NBC.

Find out more at sagaftra.org/backtowork.