By Robert Simonson
31 Aug 2004
Actors' Equity members have approved the new, hard-won Production Contract.
Actors' Equity's governing council voted July 22 to recommend the approval of the new four-year Production Contract.
The agreement was hammered out on July 12 after months of tumultuous negotiating.
The highlights of the agreement, as expressed in a prepared statement, are as follows:
* Wages - The new contract provides a wage increase of three percent each year of the four-year contract.
* Benefits - Producers have agreed to meaningful increases in health fund contributions that seek to stabilize the fund for the foreseeable future.
* Experimental Touring Program - A new, tiered salary system provides an innovative approach to meet the economic needs of the road. The appropriate tier is utilized based on a set of criteria which includes guarantees from presenters to producers, size of company and other variables. The agreement also includes a provision that provides additional compensation for Equity members for successful engagements before a show recoups, and still more compensation once a show is profitable.
*Promotions - The parties have agreed to a mutually beneficial approach to encourage the use of advertising and marketing materials featuring actors across all mediums, providing more flexibility for producers in show marketing.
* Safety - The parties have agreed to jointly develop a safety protocol that will assist producers, directors, designers and actors in the development and staging process to try to reduce the risk of injury to performers.
