LOS ANGELES — Members of SAG-AFTRA have “overwhelmingly voted” to ratify the 2022 SAG-AFTRA Commercials Contract and the 2022 SAG-AFTRA Audio Commercials Contract.
Indeed, the vote was 92.25% in favor, and the agreement reflects what SAG-AFTRA calls “important structural changes in the industry, especially in digital streaming.”
The key provisions of the ratified contract include:
- $120 million in gains for members.
- A 10% increase in session fees starting this year.
- Flat-fee, per-cycle rates across most digital and traditional media.
- Critical hair and makeup equity protections for diverse members.
- Lasting cultural change through new standards for nude or partially nude work.
- No more unreasonable or unsafe self-tape and live-remote auditions, thanks to clear boundaries on what can be asked.
- Fortifying the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan with increased contributions.
- New compensation for digital use, paired with an employer-paid fund to mitigate the impact of reduced earnings on the most high-volume Class A use.
SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said, “As we move into a digital age, bold moves and structural changes had to be made. Our amazing negotiating committee heard what members needed and delivered new contracts with more money for streaming, more contributions to the health plan, limitations on self-tape auditions, hair and makeup equity, intimacy protections and more. These contracts create a baseline upon which to build a new future.”
SAG-AFTRA National Commercials Negotiating Committee Chair Gabrielle Carteris added, “Throughout the nearly eight-week process, our negotiating committee never wavered from a single-minded focus to modernize and transform our contracts. Our committee remained laser-focused on modernizing and transforming our Commercials Contracts.”
Initial rate increases are retroactive to April 1, 2022, and a second set of rate increases apply beginning June 1, 2022. The new payment and editing structure also becomes effective June 1.
The ratification vote follows the SAG-AFTRA National Board’s recommendation on April 9 that members vote yes on the new three-year contract with the Joint Policy Committee, LLC. Votes were submitted online and by mail-in ballot, with the deadline of today, May 5, 2022, at 5 p.m. PDT. The final vote was certified by Integrity Voting Systems, an impartial election service based in Everett, Washington. Negotiations on the agreement began on Feb. 15 and concluded with a tentative agreement on April 5. Voting instruction postcards were mailed to approximately 133,000 members.
