SAG-AFTRA and Studios to Resume Negotiations on April 27

www.hollywoodreporter.com: After the writers’ union wrapped a surprise deal with studios and streamers over the weekend, SAG-AFTRA announced that it will return to the bargaining table by the end of the month. The performers’ union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers resume negotiations on April 27

Fran Drescher Not Running Again for SAG-AFTRA President

www.hollywoodreporter.com: Fran Drescher, who led the actors’ union during its historic 2023 strike, will not be running again for SAG-AFTRA president. A list of national candidates seeking political office in the union’s 2025 elections that was released to members on Friday confirmed that the actor isn’t seeking a reappointment to the union’s top job after four years in charge.

Actors' Equity Comments On SAG-AFTRA Members Condemning the Union's Raiding of Equity Employers

www.broadwayworld.com: SAG-AFTRA members have begun revolting against the union after SAG-AFTRA escalated its raiding of Equity employers over the weekend on social media. SAG-AFTRA has refused to stop interfering with Equity bargaining partners, often leading our members to receiving deferred compensation and lower pay, denying them health insurance and excluding stage managers completely.

SAG-AFTRA Taking Jurisdictional Dispute With Actors' Equity to AFL-CIO

Variety: Leaders of SAG-AFTRA have escalated the union’s bitter jurisdictional battle with Actors’ Equity Association, asking that the Associated Actors and Artistes of America name a mediator. SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris and National Executive Director David White also requested AFL-CIO intervention in a letter to Richard Trumka, president of the national labor federation.

SAG-AFTRA Heralds Guidelines for Preventing Sexual Harassment

Variety: On the third anniversary of reports on the Harvey Weinstein sex scandal, SAG-AFTRA has unveiled new resources to help prevent sexual harassment and build safer working conditions for members.

Actors’ Equity President Kate Shindle Blasts SAG-AFTRA For Launching “Sham Investigation” Into Equity’s Internal Affairs

Deadline: SAG-AFTRA’s national board unanimously approved a resolution Thursday night reaffirming its longstanding jurisdiction over the taping of live shows, and accused Equity of taking part in a “surreptitious campaign to encroach upon SAG-AFTRA jurisdiction.” The board’s resolution, announced on Friday, also directed SAG-AFTRA counsel “to conduct an investigation of Equity’s activities seeking to poach SAG-AFTRA’s jurisdiction, with a particular emphasis on its ‘Media Committee’ and the many agreements it has made for so-called ‘remote’ work that falls squarely within SAG-AFTRA’s jurisdiction, taking thousands of days of work from performers who should have been working under SAG-AFTRA contracts.”

SAG-AFTRA Board Reaffirms Jurisdiction Over Taping Of Live Theater For TV, Film

Deadline: The usually fractious SAG-AFTRA national board of directors unanimously has approved a resolution reaffirming the union’s jurisdiction over the taping of live theater productions, accusing Actors’ Equity Association of taking part in a “surreptitious campaign to encroach upon SAG-AFTRA jurisdiction.” The board, meeting Thursday night in special session, also directed SAG-AFTRA counsel to conduct an investigation into Equity’s “activities seeking to poach SAG-AFTRA’s jurisdiction.”

SAG-AFTRA Locked In Dispute With Actors’ Equity Over Taping Of Live Theater

Deadline: SAG-AFTRA and Actors’ Equity Association are locked in a jurisdictional dispute over the taping of live theatrical presentations. SAG-AFTRA has long held that jurisdiction, but says that it’s offered AEA a waiver to help out their fellow actors during the coronavirus shutdown of live theaters across the country. According to SAG-AFTRA, Actors’ Equity has rejected the terms of the waiver.

SAG-AFTRA Cuts Workforce Again Due to COVID-19

Variety: SAG-AFTRA is cutting its workforce for the third time this year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which will leave it with about 400 employees.

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).

SAG-AFTRA Health Plan Offers Reduction in COBRA Premiums Amid Backlash

Variety: Facing a barrage of criticism over eligibility cuts, the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan has announced it will be offering an 80% reduction in COBRA premiums for many participants who will no longer qualify for coverage starting Oct. 1

SAG-AFTRA Members Ratify TV Animation Contracts

Variety: SAG-AFTRA members have ratified successor television animation contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

Members approved the three-year agreements by a vote of 87.68% to 12.32%, the performers union announced Wednesday night.

Time's Up Urges SAG-AFTRA Members to Vote Against Contract

Variety: Time’s Up is urging SAG-AFTRA members to oppose the proposed successor deal on its master contract, provoking an accusation by the union of unwarranted interference.

Balloting on the deal, reached last month between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, concludes Wednesday at 5 p.m. PDT.

SAG Balloting Initiative Wages Battle Over Contract Ratification

Variety: The performers union, which reps 160,000 members, rolled out a video Thursday of President Gabrielle Carteris urging a “Yes” vote on the new deal and posted the referendum booklet on line with ballots due back July 22. The booklet includes a 500-word opposition section urging a “No” vote and endorsed by national board members Ed Asner, Jennifer Beals, Neve Campbell, Diane Ladd, Matthew Modine, Esai Morales, Patricia Richardson, Rob Schneider and Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

Hollywood Working On Safety Protocols To Re-Start Film & TV Production

Deadline: As California and New York are starting to explore ways to reopen when the worst of the coronavirus is over, Hollywood’s unions and management’s AMPTP are working on safety protocols to get film and television production re-started. “We’re working aggressively with industry safety experts and coordinating with other guilds and unions on this issue right now,” David White, SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director, told Deadline.