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Down to the wire on actors strike
With an extended strike deadline looming on Jan. 8, eleventh-hour contract negotiations between producers and actors have boiled down to two fractious issues: wages and new media.
Heading back into the talks Jan. 3, both sides were cautiously optimistic that with some creative give-and-take, a deal could be struck, however.
Most recently, the CFTPA, which represents English producers, and the APFTQ, which represents Quebec producers, offered wage increases of 1% the first year, 2% the second and 1% the third. ACTRA has been calling for 5% in each of the three years.
Canada’s actors were set to strike on Jan. 1 following a breakdown in talks late last month. The union eventually came back to the table and set the new Jan. 8 deadline.
ACTRA says it’s working toward parity with SAG rates, while the CFTPA and APFTQ argue that such a raise would undermine Canada’s competitive advantage. Producers also point out that the Directors Guild, Writers Guild and NABET recently settled for much less.
‘It’s a very big ask,’ says CFTPA chief negotiator John Barrack, ‘and we can’t even consider doing anything more than we’ve already offered unless they show some considerable movement.’
New media is a largely uncharted realm in the Independent Production Agreement. ACTRA has proposed that new media rights and residuals be treated like any other, while the CFTPA and APFTQ want to pay thesps for their work as before, but then take a freebie on new media broadcasts used as promotional material. ACTRA has issues with the definition of ‘promotional.’
ACTRA chief negotiator Stephen Waddell says that the CFTPA had expressed a willingness to ‘significantly increase’ their monetary offer. ‘We’re hopeful,’ he says, ‘given that we’re staring at a definite strike date.’
‘We’re not prepared to move in a vacuum,’ says Barrack, who expressed hopes that more money might bring ‘significant movement’ on new media rights and other sticking points.
The two sides have been working to hammer out a new IPA since late October. Armed with an overwhelming vote of confidence from its members, ACTRA says it has been in a strike position since Jan. 1.
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