Negotiators for Hollywood studios and SAG-AFTRA have reached an agreement on a three-year successor deal to the current performers union contract after more than a month of talks.
Representatives of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and SAG-AFTRA had no comment Thursday about the deal other than saying the tentative agreement will now go to the SAG-AFTRA National Board for review.
The talks between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP began on April 27 on a remote basis due to the coronavirus pandemic and with both sides pledging to adhere to a news blackout until the talks were completed. The SAG-AFTRA contract has a June 30 expiration.
SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris has been chairing the union’s negotiating committee and national executive director David White has been serving as SAG-AFTRA’s chief negotiator. The lead negotiator for the studios is AMPTP president Carol Lombardini.
SAG-AFTRA has been following the close-to-the-vest playbook of the Directors Guild of America. The DGA deal, ratified April 2, includes gains in residuals for members working on original SVOD series, increases in employer contributions to the pension plan; and annual wage increases (2.5% in the first year, 3% in the second and third).
As usual, leaders of SAG-AFTRA released no details of their proposal prior to negotiations. The SAG-AFTRA national board approved the proposals for the feature film-primetime TV contract nearly a year ago in July — without ever disclosing the substance of those proposals. At the same meeting, the SAG-AFTRA leaders also approved a separate three-year deal with Netflix that expires on June 30, 2022.
The SAG-AFTRA negotiations have been taking place concurrently with separate contract talks between the AMPTP and the Writers Guild of America. Representatives of the WGA and AMPTP are also facing a June 30 expiration of the current film and TV contract. Those talks began three weeks ago on May 18 on a remote basis due to the coronavirus pandemic after two start dates were vacated.
