On June 9, 2018, SAG-AFTRA announced that it had reached a tentative agreement on a new Network Television Code with ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, et al., far ahead of the current agreement’s June 30th expiration.

Known as the “Netcode,” this tentative agreement covers many types of shows on which stand-ins work: talk shows, game shows, soap operas, sports shows, quiz shows, and variety shows. It also covers television promos, which stand-ins also work on.

Stand-ins on some types of Netcode productions are among the lowest paid professionals in SAG-AFTRA. Stand-ins on Netcode productions make an hourly rate — not a daily rate — and at that, many have a guarantee of just two hours of work. In the recently expired contract, stand-ins were making $26/hour with a two-hour minimum — meaning some stand-ins reported to work and were wrapped with a gross paycheck of just $52 for the day. Likely most of the other crew working on those same productions were making not just higher wages but a daily rate, not an hourly one.

On July 21, 2018, the SAG-AFTRA board approved sending the proposed agreement to members for a ratification vote. However, the SAG-AFTRA board was not unanimous in its approval of the proposed contract. Instead, only 79% of the board members were in favor of the proposed agreement, with presumably 21% of the board not in favor of it.

That said, currently, SAG-AFTRA members are receiving their ballots on whether to ratify the proposed 2018 Netcode. Ballots must be returned by August 16.

  • If a majority of eligible members vote yes on ratifying the proposed agreement, the proposed agreement would take effect retroactively to July 1, 2018.
  • If a majority of eligible members vote no on ratifying the proposed agreement, presumptively SAG-AFTRA would return to bargain with the major television networks for better contract terms that SAG-AFTRA members would then hopefully ratify.

Stand-In Central urges you to Vote No on this proposed agreement. This would send the union back to bargain with the networks for better terms — in particular, for some of the lowest paid workers: stand-ins. Here is why Stand-In Central strongly urges you to Vote No.

Recent History of Netcode & Stand-Ins

In 2014, the last time when the Netcode was up for negotiation, Stand-In Central published why its editor voted No on ratifying the proposed agreement.

The reason for the No vote was largely because recommendations for improving compensation for stand-ins were not addressed or achieved in the proposed 2014 agreement. The editor pointed out to the Wages & Working Conditions Committee the following problems, especially with respect to television promos:

  • stand-ins make an hourly rate, while background actors make a daily rate
  • background actors earn their daily rate for each promo they work on, while stand-ins only make their hourly rate no matter how many spots they work on

Those contract arrangements led to the peculiar situation of stand-ins at times earning less than background actors on the same day of work, sometimes even doing more work and working on more spots than background actors.

Stand-ins under other SAG-AFTRA contracts are paid higher than background actors and are also paid a daily rate, not an hourly rate. Why not in Netcode?

The editor also voted No because the economic gains presented in the 2014 proposed agreement were not sizable — and barely even standard. There was hardly a show of strength by SAG-AFTRA at the 2014 bargaining table.

Dollar increases in the stand-in rate were common in past Netcode negotiations. Not only did SAG-AFTRA not achieve outsized increases in the stand-in rate, but also SAG-AFTRA didn’t even achieve annual increases in the stand-in rate. Instead, stand-ins only achieved dollar increases in their rates in two of the four years of the 2014 contract: on November 16, 2014 ($25/hour), and November 16, 2016 ($26/hour). For as much as SAG-AFTRA wanted to tout its bargaining strength when merging from SAG and AFTRA, the 2014 negotiations were no sign at all of that bargaining strength, and more a confirmation of the union’s weakness before the major networks.

The only other gain for stand-ins in 2014 was to have producers try to be better about getting credentials to stand-ins when they arrive to work — tied to which was no penalty or economic benefit for the stand-in when a producer fails to still provide credentials to stand-ins.

The Pain for Stand-Ins Continues in the 2018 Netcode Proposal

SAG-AFTRA has again underwhelmed in its gains in this negotiation. There is little sign of strength in 2018’s proposed agreement, and given that negotiations concluded well before the expiration of the contract, there is little sign of a strong fight for better terms for SAG-AFTRA members.

Some of the outsized gains in this proposed agreement — notably for background actors on promos — are not from bargaining strength but rather because New York and California Minimum Wage laws mandated the meaningfully higher rates. By early 2018, background actors under the expiring Netcode were guaranteed daily rates of less than NYC and CA minimum wage. At that, a SAG-AFTRA source explained that the networks were not interested in operating outside Minimum Wage laws, so there was no contest to giving background actors on promos a legal rate. In other words, the union did not flex its muscles to get outsized gains for background actors, but rather, the law did.

Again this year, the Wages & Working Conditions Committee was aware of issues around stand-in pay going into negotiations, but those expressions of issues did not translate to meaningful gains for stand-ins at the bargaining table. Sadly, compensation terms for stand-ins under the proposed 2018 Netcode have not addressed ongoing issues with stand-in compensation.

For stand-ins under the proposed 2018 Netcode, while SAG-AFTRA did achieve annual increases in the stand-in rate, that rate is still hourly, and those increases are still only $1 per hour each year. There is no daily rate for stand-ins. In the first year of the contract, if ratified, a stand-in can walk away from a job grossing $54 for the day given a two-hour guarantee on some jobs. While the stand-in is being paid above minimum wage, it’s as if the stand-in earns far less than minimum wage because the chances of booking a second union job for the day to make up for the low compensation are slim.

Perhaps to address the issue, stand-ins received this other gain in the proposed 2018 Netcode: stand-ins must be advised of their minimum call at the time of engagement. Presumably that means someone must tell stand-ins the minimum number of hours they can end up working. However, this proposed language doesn’t even say who has to advise the stand-in of their minimum call, making the contract language too easy to get around. Does production? Do casting directors? Casting directors are not signatories to the Netcode. Furthermore, there is no penalty awarded to the stand-in in case no one notifies the stand-in about their minimum call. It seems this “gain” gains nothing for the stand-in other than the reminder that the union permits a professional member to receive $54 for a day of stand-in work.

Vote No

Of course, there are other aspects of the proposed 2018 Netcode than just stand-in rates. More to the point, though, nearly every SAG-AFTRA contract is ratified by members with a simple majority. Achieving this majority is helped in part because SAG-AFTRA often tells its members how to vote in its referendum packages, including the referendum package for the proposed 2018 Netcode.

So it takes a considerable amount of no votes from SAG-AFTRA members to prevent ratification of a SAG-AFTRA contract. While this proposed Netcode will probably pass, a large showing of no votes by SAG-AFTRA members will help to show the union the large amount of members who are not satisfied with the results of their bargaining against the major networks. In the event the no votes are in the majority, at that time would there be real possibility for SAG-AFTRA to show its strength and make a stand for its stand-ins (not to mention other members). SAG-AFTRA would be forced to go back into negotiations with the networks.

So consider in your vote whether you want SAG-AFTRA members to live with this agreement, or you want SAG-AFTRA to fight harder for its members. The more No votes, the better.

What do you think of the proposed 2018 Network Television Code? How do you feel about the gains for stand-ins? Share your opinions in the comments below!