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 | | Monday, 13 August, 2001, 18:55 GMT 19:55 UK Hollywood votes to sign contract deal  Negotiators reached a tentative agreement in July Hollywood actors have voted to ratify a three-year contract agreement with the major film studios The deal covers the 135,000 members of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). Final details were not revealed, but terms were expected to include increases to performers' minimum salary scale and residual payments - for secondary markets such as repeats, cable TV and foreign distribution. The agreement ends months of talks, which at one time looked like heading towards and all out strike. The unions said they had been arguing for fairer deals for lower-paid actors, which make up the majority of its workforce.
By agreement with both parties, no details of the new contract have been revealed but the new rates came into force on 1 July, with actors entitled to backpay. The unions managed to hammer out a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to increase pay for all members. The two sides finally reached a compromise on 7 July this year. With 38,163 ballots cast in the postal ballot, nearly 97%, 36,876 votes, opted in favour of accepting the deal. Just 3.2%, 1,232 returns, voted to reject the deal, with 55 ballot papers ruled invalid. Minimum wage Negotiations began on 15 May, when a news blackout was mutually enforced. But trade newspaper Variety said there were indications that the actors' new contract might have included a 3.5% hike in minimum pay, up from the current rate of $617 (�436) per day and $2,142 (�1,516) per week, and an increase for guest-starring roles on television. One of the last hurdles was believed to involve a proposal to give actors more pay from basic cable TV residuals by reducing pension and health plan contributions. | |
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