Representatives of ACTRA and the Union of BC Performers agree with the Screen Actors Guild that the implementation of SAG’s Global Rule One ‘has not presented any significant administrative difficulties,’ according to a joint statement released by the three organizations.

The groups met recently at SAG’s Los Angeles headquarters to discuss various global performers issues, with GR1 front and centre. The rule, which took hold on May 1, sees SAG members who are shooting in Canada benefiting from provisions in the SAG contract over and above those found in the ACTRA contract. The provisions in question include rates and the structural definition of the workday.

Earlier this year, the CFTPA directed some heat at ACTRA for not condemning GR1, arguing that introducing SAG rules on Canadian-based productions would be disruptive to protocol on the set and ultimately costly to producers. ACTRA national executive director Stephen Waddell, who was present at the recent meeting, responded that SAG members have been negotiating for SAG terms in this country for decades, so it was really nothing new.

The recent meeting shows ACTRA and the UBCP to be cooperating with SAG regarding GR1.

‘That’s been the case, and I think that will continue to be the case,’ says John Barrack, CFTPA national VP, industrial relations and counsel. ‘It certainly strikes me that [ACTRA is] not looking to rock the boat terribly.’

While Barrack does not cite specific instances of GR1 negatively impacting production in Canada, he says the CFTPA is working with ACTRA to iron out the wrinkles that exist around it. ‘There are some things that need to be addressed,’ he says. ‘Some of the contracts that may have been entered into may be unenforceable in Canada.’

The CFTPA does not buy into SAG’s claim that its members’ health care and pension plans are the prime motivators behind GR1.

‘The bigger thing was to stem what they call ‘runaway production’,’ Barrack says. ‘It didn’t work. There’s nobody who isn’t coming to work here because of this.’

Barrack says he has a mandate from producers to go before an adjudicator with ACTRA over the issue, although he hopes the matter can be resolved before it would come to that.

Also on the L.A. meeting’s agenda was an initiative on behalf of ACTRA, UBCP and SAG to gather and share member employment data and production statistics in both countries. The point of this, according to the released statement, is ‘to better define and evaluate production and employment trends in the U.S. and Canada’ in order to ‘improve the protection afforded to performers on a global basis.’

‘Continuing an open dialogue amongst the leadership of performer unions builds solidarity – the key ingredient in our unions’ efforts to improve the working lives of performers,’ said ACTRA national president Thor Bishopric in the statement.

The daylong meeting also tackled immigration issues, the rights of child performers and residual payments. In addition to Waddell and Bishopric, UBCP president John Juliani and counsel Tracey Wood attended along with several SAG executives and staff members.

-www.actra.ca

-www.ubcp.com

-www.cftpa.ca