SAG-AFTRA and advertisers reach deal on new commercials contract

After seven weeks of negotiations, SAG-AFTRA and a group representing advertisers said they reached a deal on new contracts covering actors and other performers who work in television and radio commercials. But neither group wanted to broadcast the details of the deal.

SAG-AFTRA, which has more than 165,000 members, and the Joint Policy Committee representing the advertising industry said Saturday morning they reached an agreement on new tentative contracts, which is subject to approval by the SAG-AFTRA national board later this month.

Union and advertising industry leaders hailed the agreement without disclosing terms, saying no details would be released until the board reviews the package at its April 20-21 meeting.

Terms of the proposed contracts will be closely scrutinized by rank-and-file commercial actors, many of whom have seen their incomes shrink in recent years as more work has migrated to the Internet and cable television, where payments are substantially lower than broadcast television.

“These contracts provide our members with the solid foundation they need to sustain their careers and families,” SAG-AFTRA National Co-President and Negotiating Committee National Chair Roberta Reardon said in a statement. “I am very grateful to our negotiating committee which came together and worked as one to ensure a strong contract for their sisters and brothers who work in the commercials area.”

Joint Policy Committee Lead Negotiator Douglas J. Wood also cited “important industry gains in key areas,” without elaborating. “These negotiations have been a positive and productive continuation of our longtime partnership with commercial performers and their representatives,” Wood said in a statement.

The JPC and SAG-AFTRA began negotiations on Feb. 14. The current agreements were set to expire Sunday.

The negotiation marks the first since the Screen Actors Guild merged a year ago with its smaller sister union, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

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