Demand Action from SAG-AFTRA Leadership
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Send email to: governance@sagaftra.org
Copy & paste the following message:
SUBJECT: Urging SAG-AFTRA’s National Board to Enforce Audition Pay
MESSAGE:
As a dedicated member of SAG-AFTRA, I am writing to urge union leadership to enforce the Audition Pay provision of our Codified Basic Agreement.
Audition Pay dates back to our 1947 contract and entitles performers on SAG-AFTRA signatory projects to receive half a day's scale rate ($541 today) for each audition that doesn’t result in employment in the movie or TV show. This provision has been largely unenforced except for when individual performers have filed claims.
The current landscape of auditioning has changed dramatically, particularly in light of the pandemic, which has shifted most auditions to a self-taping format. Productions now audition hundreds of performers for each role while offloading costly production labor onto those performers. Our community is doing more free work for decreased chances of booking. Enforcing Audition Pay is not just about compensating actors for their time and effort; it's about ensuring fairness and equity within our industry. Enforcing Audition Pay will reflect the value that we create for our employers. It will make performing a more sustainable profession, increase contributions to our health and pension plans, and make us more powerful as a union and as individual workers.
As a committed member of our union, I urge you to take proactive steps in advocating for the enforcement of Audition Pay. Union leadership needs to do the following:
RESCIND the September 28, 2022 Requirements Notice which limited the circumstances under which the union would pursue Audition Pay. These circumstances are not all found in our contract, and union members were not given a chance to vote on this change.
REJECT any contract proposal from the studios (the AMPTP) that diminishes the Audition Pay provision in any way.
ENFORCE the Audition Pay provision using automated procedures. This would ensure that members do not need to file claims for their owed payments.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter. I look forward to hearing about the actions SAG-AFTRA leadership will take to address this issue and support its members.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your SAG-AFTRA ID number]