Yesterday was the deadline for AFTRA to accept their deal and they did.
After a bitter feud with sister union SAG over its primetime/TV contract, AFTRA’s membership on Tuesday approved the union’s new deal with the studios .
Slightly more than 62% of the voting members said yes to the pact.
“Today’s vote reflects the ability of AFTRA members to recognize a solid contract when they see it,” AFTRA president Roberta Reardon said late Tuesday. “We were faced with an unprecedented situation of another union mounting a well-funded and ferocious attack on our contract-ratification process. In the face of that kind of attack, I think the percentage that ratified this contract is really good, and I’m thrilled.”
SAG, whose leadership had contended that a separate deal with AFTRA would dilute its clout at the bargaining table, asserted that the referendum was skewed by nonactor members of the union.
“Clearly, many Screen Actors Guild members responded to our education and outreach campaign and voted against the inadequate AFTRA agreement,” SAG president Alan Rosenberg said. “We knew AFTRA would appeal to its many AFTRA-only members, who are news people, sportscasters and DJs, to pass the tentative agreement covering acting jobs. In its materials, AFTRA focused that appeal on the importance of actor members’ increased contributions to help fund its broadcast members’ pension and health benefits.”
SAG is set to make a decision on the contract proposed to them tomorrow.
