It’s still months away, but SAG-AFTRA has begun to lay the groundwork for its upcoming contract talks with the studios and networks.
Following a two-day meeting of its national board, the union said Tuesday that its wages and working conditions committee will begin formal work on its proposals for the negotiations on Jan. 27, 2014. The current TV/theatrical contracts will expire on June 30, 2014.
No date has been set for the start of talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers for the successor deal. The panel will aim to have its proposals formalized by mid-March of 2014.
Also read: SAG-AFTRA Closes Convention and Board Rolls Up Its Sleeves
SAG-AFTRA President Ken Howard was named national chair of the contract committee and will ultimately serve as national chair of the union’s negotiating team.
It was the first meeting of the union’s 80-member board since the merger of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in 2012. The board members, who were formally installed at the union’s five-day convention held last week, heard reports on several fronts on Monday and Tuesday.
In a confidential update, secretary-treasurer Amy Aquino reported that the first quarter 2013 financials are on plan and tracking to budget and national executive director David White provided an operations overview.
There was no action taken on the potential merging of the SAG and AFTRA pension plans or the pending suit against the union filed by Ed Asner and other members alleging under-payments on foreign residuals.