UBCP/ACTRA, which represents union performers in British Columbia, has ratified a new three-year labor deal to run through to 2028.
The new B.C. Master Production Agreement, to take effect April 1, 2025, was agreed after bargaining with the Canadian Media Producers Association – B.C. Producers Branch and the Canadian affiliate of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
The new three year deal signals labor peace in the westernmost Canadian province dominated by major studios and streamers shooting movies and TV series in and around Vancouver. The B.C. performers deal also follows provincial film unions and guilds, including the UBCP/ACTRA, in July 2023 extending their labor contact agreement with the local AMPTP affiliate and Canadian indie producers for another year to March 31, 2025 in return for a 5 percent wage increase.
That move brought labor stability to B.C. in 2023 just as the strike by the Writers Guild of America had entered its third month and SAG-AFTRA performers had taken to picket lines south of the border. Both Hollywood strikes were eventually settled.
“This agreement represents a significant step forward in improving the working conditions of performers in British Columbia and the Yukon,” Keith Martin Gordey, president of UBCP/ACTRA, said in a statement on Thursday. “Our negotiating team fought the good fight, and this agreement is a testament to their profound knowledge, dedication and determination.”
The newly ratified agreement for UBCP/ACTRA includes wage increases, new protections for artificial intelligence in line with those negotiated by SAG-AFTRA and ACTRA as part of their own contract deals, provisions to deal with the increased use of self-tapes in auditions, terms and conditions for equitable hair and makeup services, an increase in the rest period between workdays and increased insurance and retirement contributions.
UBCP/ACTRA represents around 8,000 performers in the province.
Read the full article here
