Joely Fisher and Sophia Bush July 20, 2020 on KTLA SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical Contract
Brandon Routh shares why he's Voting NO on the SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical Contract
Vincent D'Onofrio explains why he is Voting NO on the Tentative SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical Contract
A Message from the
SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles Local President Patricia Richardson
Los Angeles July 5th, 2020
Dear Members,
The Los Angeles Local represents nearly 50% of our Union’s Members and roughly 55% of our Union’s earnings. If you are a member of SAG-AFTRA, be it in Los Angeles or any of our 24 sister locals Nationwide, hopefully you are still deciding how you will vote on the 2020 TV/Theatrical Contract that has been presented to you.
To begin, I genuinely appreciate that our National Board of Directors agreed to include a dissenting opinion in the official materials sent with your ballot. This is an acknowledgement that there is a significant disagreement about the strength of this contract. In fact, in my years of service I have never seen such a large NO Vote for a TV/Theatrical contract. 32.39% of the National Board, including myself, voted NO.
Therefore, because the National Board voted in favor of this contract, you are only being presented with the items that support a yes vote. I ask you to consider the rest of the story.
The decision to ratify this contract is consequential and the most important thing we want you to understand about what will happen when the results come in is this:
1st: Voting Yes does NOT mean we get to go right back to work.
2nd: Voting No does not mean we go on strike. No one wants a strike.
What we want to do is to let our system work. When we Vote NO, we will empower our negotiating team and our current leadership to go back to the table and get us a better deal.
Please know that this Contract will be in force for three full years. Once we are out of this tragic pandemic and catastrophic economic crisis, we will want to have met this moment with resolve. We must not allow the era of Covid-19 to undermine our true value.
There wouldn’t be an industry without performers. We must have a deal that addresses the world as it is now. For example, the figures in this deal were calculated, not as laid out in our own safety recommendations, but as though we will somehow immediately begin working in a normal way in normal times. A realistic understanding of the environment we are in must be reflected in our relationship to the Producers. In the coming months and years, when we finally do go back to work, we want to actually make a living in safer conditions and have a secured future.
Thank you very much for taking the time to make the most informed Vote that you can.
Respectfully,
Patricia Richardson
President of SAG-AFTRA, Los Angeles Local.
When you’re ready VOTE HERE:
Dear Members,
32.39% of the National Board of Directors voted NO on this deal.
The phrase “historic gains” doesn’t tell the full story. This contract enshrines historic losses and missed opportunities.
This deal was negotiated during an unprecedented global health and economic crisis. Our country has turned to performers for warmth, humor, and inspiration. The value of our services is growing, not shrinking. Even through the shared pain of this moment it’s our duty to negotiate with strength to fiercely protect your wages, residuals, health, safety, and the survival of our Pension and Health Plans.
KEY CONCERNS
Destroys our decades-old fixed residual formula.
Up to 90% reduction.
Total 3-year loss of $70 million.
8-year loss of $170 million.
2019 earnings of $95 million will plummet to $16 million.
Affects 35,000 individual performers.
Pre 1998 episodes will have your P&H contribution deducted from your residual.
1.5% of the proposed 2% P&H increase will be deducted from your wage increase.
Members working under an AFTRA contract receive zero individual pension increases, bypassing them, going straight to the AFTRA Retirement Plan.
The Netflix deal achieved a 15% cap, while studios can continue to apply a significantly higher percentage.
Of the promoted $318 million increase, the 1 new Background spot in the 2nd year is worth only .2% ($600,000).
In the last 28 years, BG has lost a total of 36 spots. 1 new spot isn’t enough.
Scanning: No protection for background actors from the use of digital doubles.
Unequal nudity protections.
Giving away First-Class Travel under 1,000 miles, especially in the Covid era, puts our members at risk.
Grandfathering in SVOD
New episodes of old shows are prevented from receiving newly increased negotiated residuals.
The supposed elimination of “grandfathering” in this agreement is extremely vague.
Money/Schedule Breaks ignored for features, robbing cumulative overtime.
No safety improvements.
New Media shows under 20 minutes will continue to be freely negotiated and will not have most of our standard protections.
No minimums
No 12-hour turnaround
Half-hour shows are typically 22 minutes. Cutting just 2 minutes will side-step the basic agreement.
Options & Exclusivity
The freedom of performers to pursue future work remains terribly restricting.
Guest spots are unfairly limited.
Actors are put on unreasonable holds.
Watch/Listen To Our Members
“There's a Better Deal to be Had” - A Martinez: co-chair of the Los Angeles EEOC
Joely Fisher, Actress, Singer, & Dancer
Pamela Guest, LA Local Board Member & Chair of the LA Local Committee on Sexual Harassment
Ron Ostrow, LA Local Board Member
Matt Kavanaugh, LA Local Board Member
Lisa Ann Walter, SAG-AFTRA LA Local Board Member and Chair of The L.A. Local Womens Committee, shares why she is Voting NO on the #SAGAFTRA TV/Theatrical Contract
Pete Antico: LA Local Board Member
Gaye Nelson- Co Chair of The Move Committee, Delegate Los Angeles Local
Joanna Cassidy, LA Local & National Board, National Executive Committee
Kevin McCorkle: LA Local Board Member
“Let's keep this future at bay...Vote!” Cartoon by SAG-AFTRA Delegate Arne Starr
Arm yourself with the facts.
Make an educated decision.
National Board/Alternates
Peter Antico, Ed Asner, Jennifer Beals, Neve Campbell, Joanna Cassidy, Joe d’Angerio, Debbie Evans, Greg Evigan, Marie Fink, Frances Fisher, Lamonte Goode, Pamela Guest, Elliott Gould, Richard Hadfield, Linda Harcharic, David Jolliffe, Matt Kavanaugh, Diane Ladd, Jodi Long, Matthew Modine, Esai Morales, Ron Ostrow, Patricia Richardson, Shaan Sharma, Rob Schneider, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Olga Wilhelmine
Supporters
Pete Antico, Patricia Arquette, Rosanna Arquette, John Asher, Ed Asner, Sean Astin, Diedrich Bader, Ellen Barkin, Jessica Barth, Jennifer Beals, Xander Berkeley, Jed Bernard, Moon Bloodgood, Jeff Bosley, Lesley-Ann Brandt, Tamara Braun, Joy Bridenbaker, Clancy Brown, Karen A. Brown, Sophia Bush, Chip Carriere, Joanna Cassidy, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Dave Clennon, Beverly D'Angelo, Joe d’Angerio, Michele and Bruce Davison, Laura Dern, Caitlin Dulany, Vincent D’Onofrio, Susie Duff, Maggie Egan-Cummings, Debbie Evans, Greg Evigan, Marie Fink, Frances Fisher, Joely Fisher, Tricia Leigh Fisher, Courtney Ford, Brad Garrett, Laura San Giacomo, Larissa Gomes, Lamonte Goode, Elliott Gould, Michelle Jubilee Gonzalez, Rebekah Graf, Kerry Kelly Gridley, Elizabeth Guest, Nicholas Guest, Pamela Guest, Richard Hadfield, Regina Hall, Mark Hamill, Brian Hamilton, Linda Harcharic, Samantha Hartson, Louis Herthum, Aisha Hinds, David Jolliffe, Matt Kavanaugh, Qorianka Kilcher, Diane Ladd, Eric Ladin, Donna Lynn Leavy, Andrew Leeds, Joanna Leeds, Jodi Long, Eva Longoria, , Vicki Lewis, Anthony Marciona, A Martinez, Sarah Ann Masse, Jenny McCarthy, Kevin McCorkle, Christa Miller, Matthew Modine, Gaye Nelson, Lance Nichols, Ron Ostrow, Patton Oswalt, Rick Overton, Adrian Pasdar, Joey Pantoliano, Lana Parilla, Eddie Perez, Elisa Perry, Patricia Richardson, Elizabeth Rohm, Brandon Routh, Meredith Salenger, Annabella Sciorra, Sarah Scott, Shaan Sharma, Nancy Sinatra, Kevin Sizemore, Azura Skye, Connie Stevens, Ari Stridham, Olivia Summers, Mena Suvari, Time’s UP, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Scottie Thompson, Lori Vozzella, Lisa Ann Walter, Olga Wilhelmine.
