Los Angeles, CA – SAG-AFTRA members have ratified a new three-year master contract for prime-time TV and feature films. The deal, which won 76% of the vote, drew significantly more opposition than the contract the union approved in 2014, which got 92%. The new deal is retroactive to July 1. Minimum pay will go up by 2.5% in the first year, 3% in the second year, and 3% in the third year. President Gabrielle Carteris said in a statement that under the agreement’s new provisions, “members will be compensated for global use of their work on streaming new media platforms—such as Netflix and Amazon—in addition to seeing significant gains in streaming media residuals.” That includes a 300% increase in residuals within the first two years when exhibited worldwide on Netflix. Opponents, including Esai Morales and stuntman Peter Antico, who are among the four candidates contesting Carteris’s re-election, objected that the agreement contained concessions in travel costs and didn’t do enough for performers in basic cable. They were unable to get their objections included in the ballot materials sent to members, however, because less than 25% of the national board had voted against ratification in July. Read more
