Yesterday, SAG-AFTRA's National Board unanimously approved the tentative deals for the 2019 Commercials Contracts and Audio Commercials Contracts that were reached earlier this month by the Joint Policy Committee (JPC) and the SAG-AFTRA Commercial Negotiating Committee followings weeks of negotiation (and months - if not years - of prior planning).  Next, union members vote on ratification, with a voting deadline of approximately May 8th.  If ratified, the terms of the new agreements will be retroactive to April 1st.  

The memoranda of agreement that detail the new terms have not been released.  As soon as they are, we will write more.  For now, suffice it to say that there has been a lot of buzz surrounding the introduction of a new alternate compensation model that will coexist with the existing compensation structure in these two important collective bargaining agreements.  The JPC describes it as "an innovative and flexible alternative compensation model that specifically addresses the realities of the modern advertising business while preserving and enhancing opportunities for actors to have a professional career."  Along similar lines, the union says this model will provide "performers with substantial upfront payments, creat[e] simple and flexible structures for employers [and] position[] SAG-AFTRA to cover more work opportunities under the contract."  

Stay tuned!