SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers reached a deal on Wednesday regarding new contracts for television and feature film animation, according to TheWrap.
What’s Happening:
- The full details of the contract will remain confidential until the agreement is approved for a ratification vote by the SAG-AFTRA national board.
- Negotiations on a new animation contract were delayed until this winter due to last year’s SAG-AFTRA’s strike, which lasted 118 days – the longest strike on the TV/theatrical contract in the union’s history.
- During the last animation contract talks in 2020, SAG-AFTRA was able to negotiate wage increases of 2.5% in the first year of the contract and 3% in each of the two successive years.
- It is not yet known whether this round of contracts will include a higher percentage increase akin to the 7% first-year increase negotiated last year for the TV/Theatrical contract.
- A major contention in recent union contract negotiations has been streaming residuals, and with this contract, the union was able to negotiate a 26% increase for streaming animated shows.
- It remains to be seen how animation will be included in SAG-AFTRA’s upcoming plans for a “Robin Hood fund” that will see studios send additional payments for shows that perform well on streaming and will be shared by all guild members who participate on streaming projects.