1-30-09
SAG and AFTRA Sign New Phase 1 Agreement to Talk with Advertisers
While the Screen Actors Guild is tearing itself in two, they have somehow come to an agreement with AFTRA. In a joint statement issued this past Monday, SAG and AFTRA have agreed to reinstitute Phase 1 in the upcoming negotiations with TV and radio commercial producers.
“A set of guidelines was established, including specific prohibitions on raiding and disparagement, in an effort to foster a healthy and productive joint bargaining relationship for these contracts,” reads part of the statement. SAG and AFTRA are calling the agreement “expanded Phase 1” because of the raiding and disparagement clauses. The agreement was brokered by the AFL-CIO. It includes hefty fines if either union violates the non-disparagement terms.
While the two unions have just formally agreed to work together, their members have been jointly hammering out contract details for a couple of months. In early January, the AFTRA/SAG Wages and Working Conditions committee agreed on the contract proposals they’re going to bring to advertisers. The joint national board will meet Feb. 7 by videoconference to approve the proposals. Talks with advertisers are scheduled for Feb. 23. The contract expires March 1.
SAG and AFTRA officially ended their Phase 1 agreement in March of 2008 over accusations by AFTRA of raiding against SAG. AFTRA then bargained on its own with primetime TV producers, signing an agreement in July.