CMU School of Drama


Tuesday, September 22, 2020

The DGA, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, Teamsters and the Basic Crafts Announce COVID-19 Testing and Protocols Adopted with the AMPTP to Allow Production to Resume Safely

IATSE Labor Union, representing the technicians, artisans and craftpersons in the entertainment industry: The unions representing casts and crews today announced they have reached an agreement with the major studios on protocols to allow the industry to safely re-open. The protocols pave the way for creative workers, who have been hard hit by the pandemic, to resume their crafts and livelihoods in workplaces redesigned around their health. Guiding principles include strictly enforced testing regimens and safety protocols, a zone-based system, and diligent use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

1 comment:

Alexander Friedland said...

It was pretty awesome getting to scroll down and read the actually contractual terms that DAG, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, Teamsters and the Basic Crafts Unions came to agreement on with AMPTP. I wonder if one safety compliance officer will be enough per production sight. I also wonder what penalties are in place for these violations because from my experience some people really don’t like fully complying to standards even if they are “quote on quote” safe people. Also who are the safety compliance officers, I’m sure they have COVID training but are they also first responders? One question I have is what is the contract negotiation that has happened for all the news channels that have started filming again and the reality shows that have begun filming in person. I know for RHONY (Real Housewives of New York City) reunion which was the first Bravo TV thing in person made reference to having a safety officer on set but I wonder how these shows have gone back without these agreements. I am not sure what unions besides SAG-AFTRA are involved in T.V./what unions are involved with News Casting/Reality T.V. so they possibly could have dealt with contract negotiation very differently as it is not for a full union. Also, seems like a great path but all these tests and PPE aren’t things that theatre can afford or at least many theatres so I wonder how to adopt this to be more realistic to a non-profit artistic budget.