The SAG-AFTRA National Board overwhelmingly approved its new bargaining agreement with Netflix on Monday, sending it to members for a ratification vote.
The new agreement is a follow-up to the 2019 contract that marked the first agreement between the actors union and the streaming studio, but it will also be the last one made exclusively between the two sides. As part of the agreement, Netflix will join the bargaining unit run by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers after quietly joining the organization last year, and all future contract negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and Netflix will be done concurrently with AMPTP talks.
Among the gains won by SAG-AFTRA are new exclusivity rules for series regulars on Netflix shows that give actors more flexibility to sign on to projects from other studios. The deal creates a new “conflict-free window” of at least three months during each season, in which performers may accept a permitted appearance on another show or network without first confirming availability and potential scheduling with Netflix.
Other gains include an expansion of the bargaining agreement for dubbing voice work to include Spanish dubbing, and the first fixed residual payment guarantees for stunt coordinators.
“I was proud to chair these talks and to be in the room as it happened. I can confirm that we got a darn good deal! We advanced significant improvements to options and exclusivity terms, allowing actors with short pickups to have more freedom to work other jobs and ensuring shorter hold periods between pickups,” said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher.
“As the landscape of the industry has changed, streaming has become one of the most important areas of focus,” said National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. “Streaming is both the present and the future of entertainment, and this agreement reflects that reality. Our team fought hard for gains across the board, and members from background performers to series regulars will feel that benefit. I am particularly proud of our expansion of Spanish-language dubbing coverage, which results in equal pay for equal work regardless of the language used.”
Next year will mark a critical cycle of labor negotiations not just for SAG-AFTRA but for all the major Hollywood unions, as key issues like wage increases and streaming residuals are expected to be addressed during contract negotiations with the AMPTP. Streaming residuals were expected to be addressed in 2020 as streaming services like Disney+ began development on their first wave of original projects, but the issue was sidelined because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
