SAG-AFTRA Members Ratify Television Animation Deal
By Dave McNary
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Members of SAG-AFTRA have approved a three-year successor deal on its master contract covering televised animated work with 95% of those voting in support.
President Gabrielle Carteris made the announcement Monday, saying, “This was a very important negotiation for our members who work on television animation projects due to the expansive growth of streaming media. It was imperative that we ensure our members receive compensation that reflects an evolving business model. With approval of these agreements, members will continue to be fairly compensated for the work they do.”
Leaders of the union announced on Sept. 19 that they had reached the deal with companies represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. In July, 98% of members voting had approved a strike authorization after union leaders accused employers of refusing to provide scale wages or residuals in the fastest-growing area of animated performers’ work — animated programs made for subscription-based streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon.
SAG-AFTRA national executive director and chief negotiator David White said, “I commend members for voting to approve these agreements. These new contracts set important protections for members working in programs created for Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and other streaming sites and ensures that our foothold in this area remains strong and significant.”
The union said the new master contract includes wage increases and benefit contribution rate improvements on par with the gains achieved in live action negotiations; a 2.5% increase to minimums and .5% increase in the contribution rate to the SAG-Producers Pension Plan and AFTRA Retirement Fund effective Sept. 16, 2018; similar gains to the SAG-Producers Pension Plan and AFTRA Retirement Fund effective Jan. 1, 2019, and a further 3% increase to minimums effective July 1, 2019.
The TV Animation Agreements cover animated programs produced for television, including network television, basic cable and streaming platforms such as Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime. The new deal will continue through June 30, 2020.
