Greetings Stunt Community,
Chris Webb and Lori Stewart wanted to reach out to you all to give you the "Coles Notes" on what went down in bargaining in Los Angeles and to encourage you all to vote to ratify the agreement.
Voter info:
On Tuesday Dec 5th, 2017 you were sent an email from UBCP/ACTRA with the subject line : UBCP/ACTRA Ratification Vote - BCMPA
This email has your voting instructions, PIN and links to all the information you need to have to make an informed decision.
Chris and I, along with the whole Bargaining Committee and the Executive Board recommend that you vote YES to ratify the BCMPA for the next 3 years.
VOTING IS OPEN now until Tuesday, Dec 19th at 4:30PM.
Voter help can be accessed by sending an email to info@ubcp.com or by calling 604.689.0727 ext. 2228 Monday to Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
Here's the short version of what we gained:
- We got a good raise, 9% over three years! Biggest raise since 2006.
- We made a good deal on new media, much better than SAG or ACTRA/IPA has:
105% for 4 years use in New Media only
135% for Theatrical Productions, including use in New Media for 4 years
110% for Television Productions, including use in New Media for 4 or 5 years
- a 90 day Declared Use period vs. IPA 1 year (this is huge !!!)
- Producer must elect Use at time of production
- Elimination of DGR only model for most New Media productions (so no more 0% for prepayments!)
- We got good language for protecting our workers from sexual harassment.
4. We got new standards for the audition environment to protect mostly young women who are new to our industry.
5. We got new language to assist Stunt Coordinators that requires productions to communicate all schedule changes to Stunt Performers (pushes/pulls/dates etc.).
6. We have an agreement that now requires productions to provide alternate transportation or lodging to anyone who is too tired to make it safely home (Fatigue Side Letter)
7. We got better/more effective education and tutoring while on set for Minors. - We have the potential to improve "Preference of Engagement" as the Producers agreed to semi-annual meetings with Casting Executives and the Union to work towards increasing workopportunities for our members - This can include the promotion of Stunt Coordinators and Fight Choreographers to the folks down south should our community wish to do this.
What we gave up - some small 'gives':
- A wage freezes for MOWs and Pilots that are in production during the time when are wages are raised. i.e. We are supposed to get our 3% raise April 1st...If a pilot starts shooting March 20 and ends April 10, they pay the wage rate they started with for the duration of production and don't raise their wages by 3% on April 1st. This is for the 1st year only of a new agreement!
- The union has to give arbitration copies or awards information to the CMPA. (information was already being shared - not an issue)
- The Producers do not have to notify the union if they want to use PNW hours. (they are still obligated to tell the performers though! This doesn't affect anything)
- Per Diems on 'Production Down Days' (so the Production's weekend) were reduced from double to single per diem amounts (this puts us in line now with IPA and SAG).
What we fought off:
- An additional "Secondary Studio Zone" that would expand from the current zone to included Jamestown.
- We did not agree to across the board discounts (Except under the Canadian, super low budget agreement...which is important so our local producers can grow.)
- Cuts to BG numbers, variety performers and dancers among other 'incentives' that would be steps backwards for our members.
- We worked hard to untangle the lawyer speak in the new media agreement and fought off their terrible proposal and came up with a pretty decent alternative.
Where we failed to make progress:
- Chris and Lori again tried to compel the Producers to agree that a Canadian Stunt Coordinator must be present on all sets. Despite arguments and stark examples, we were not successful. They simply are not going to agree to 'mandatory hires' at any cost.
- We were not successful in convincing the AMPTP to codify the practice of having an Assistant Stunt Coordinator or "best boy" position in our agreement.
- We were also unsuccessful in increasing our turnaround time to more than 10 hours despite significant efforts (IPA has 11 hr. & SAG has 12 hr. turn around).
- We were unable to increase Wardrobe calls to 4 hrs.
SIDE NOTES:
Is this agreement perfect? No. Did we achieve everything we set out to? No. It isn't perfect for, or what the AMPTP & CMPA wanted either. That's why it's called an agreement.
- What we do know is that if we do not ratify the agreement, we will get less when we go back to try to renegotiate. We will forgo our 3% wage hike on April 1st, 2018 because our new agreement will not be in place. We could get 0% increase for all of 2018 and possibly less than 3%s going forward. That exact scenario is why we are 7% behind the IPA in wages in BC currently - we didn't ratify an agreement in the past and we paid for it! Also, if we have to renegotiate we will have to deal with all the baggage left by the DGC, IATSE, Teamsters, etc. who are up next to negotiate. What if they agree to an expanded zone or more discounts? We'd be forced to settle with much of what the other unions settled for and we could lose the gains we made in this round.
- One question we keep getting asked is "why didn't the members get to look at the Union's proposals before bargaining?"
- We did 6 focus groups to hear what the members wanted (including stunts in which only a handful of people showed up for).
- We had 140 suggestions from all the members and the bargaining committee narrowed it to 19 proposals.
- This document of proposals becomes confidential. It's like a football game, you don't take the chance that the other side will see your 'play book'. It's hard enough to keep this stuff secret as it is. If we the proposals around they would end up in the producers hands within hours and it would take away much of our bargaining power, strategy and ability.
- Its easy jump on bandwagons with people who think they know what they are talking about, or who swear things would've been different if we had a better bargaining team, etc. The reality is, unless you are involved and sit in the meetings at go through the process you have no idea how insanely complicated it all is.....And how much one little screw up can burn everyone for years. It is a very hard, long, complicated and frustrating process and the members on the committee volunteered their time to do this for you.
- We had a great bargaining team full of smart, passionate, hard-working members and staff. We had lots of support from ACTRA National and also SAG/AFTRA too.
We did our best to take care of our community and we hope that you see that.
If you have good ideas, you have a chance to get involved in 3 years. We're busy... we all are...but these good times won't last forever so we have to make sure we try to get ahead while the getting is good..... personally and as a community. That means sometimes doing things that benefit others, which in turn will eventually benefit everyone.
Please join us in voting YES to ratify this agreement.
With kindest regards,
Chris Webb & Lori Stewart