TORONTO – After eight months of negotiations – including a one-month contract extension – a new national commercial agreement remains under negotiation, said actors union ACTRA today.
The agreement, which had been extended to July 31, 2008 while talks continued between a joint advertiser/agency committee and ACTRA negotiators, governs the remuneration terms and working conditions for performers in commercials for TV, radio and new media.
Terms that would modernize the agreement have been at the forefront of discussions to date by both sides in the talks, says the release. For example, ads are being used across many platforms, something the last agreement didn’t really contemplate and the actors want to be compensated for such airings of the advertisements they are in.
“Under Ontario labour law, the parties have entered into the conciliation phase of collective bargaining, with conciliation meetings overseen by the Ministry of Labour set for September 3 and 4. The parties have agreed not to speak to the media at this time,” says the release.
The Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA) and Institute of Communication Agencies (ICA), representing the advertising industry, and ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists), representing professional performers in commercials, “are optimistic a satisfactory agreement will be worked out as a result of the conciliation process. In the meantime, the industry will continue to operate under the terms and conditions of the current agreement,” concludes the release.
