Hollywood unions and producers agree to extend Covid safety protocols until April 1

Hollywood unions and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers agreed to extend their Covid protocols until April 1, with only minor changes, including the elimination of presets and weekly Covid tests for some crew members.

The protocols maintain a mandate that limits employers’ ability to require vaccinations as a condition of employment. Deadline exclusively reported on Thursday that the unions and AMPTP were in talks to extend the protocols, which were set to expire on January 31.

Unions signing the new agreement include the DGA, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Teamsters Local 399, IBEW Local 40, LiUNA! Room 724, OPCMIA Room 755 and UA Room 78.

In a joint statement, the unions said:

“The new agreement maintains the fundamental principles and practical approaches that have kept the industry running safely since shortly after the pandemic broke out,” the unions said. “This extension maintains the core protocols in case the current situation changes rapidly, while allowing for additional adjustments that reflect improved conditions in most areas.

“Specifically, there are no changes to Part 1 of the agreement, which requires the implementation of the strictest protocols for productions taking place in a metropolitan area or province with 14 or more Covid-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 population. Currently, most manufacturing areas operate under Part II of the agreement or are expected to soon, but as circumstances change with a new wave of cases, the proven effective, stricter protocols will be required.

“The new agreement includes the following two specific changes to Part II, the protocols most productions currently work with. Zones B and C no longer require preset testing. In addition, weekly testing is no longer required for Zone B workers, but if a Zone B (or C) worker “has come into close contact with a person who has tested positive for Covid-19, the producer must ensure that ‘ A Covid-19 test for the employee is available at the request of the employee. Nothing changes in the agreement regarding the examination in Zone A.

“Furthermore, a bank’s agreement grants five additional sick days and no longer requires the Covid compliance supervisor to be physically present on the shop floor, provided a member of the compliance team is available at all times during working hours.

“Except for these changes, all other provisions remain in full force. In all cases, the full set of stricter protocols will be reinstated if there is a Covid-19 spike. The parties will continue to closely monitor developments around COVID-19.”

The Covid-19 safety agreement, which first came into effect in September 2020 after months of a shutdown in production, is the result of unprecedented coordination and solidarity between unions and cooperation with employers. The agreement reflects science-based protocols that reduce the risk of transmission of the Covid virus in the industry’s unique work environments. The protocols have led to a successful resurgence in film and television production, while ensuring that the safety of cast, crew and industry workers is paramount.

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The protocols allowed work and manufacturing to recover from an industry-wide collapse earlier in the pandemic. The protocols were originally scheduled to expire on April 30, 2021, but were extended without significant changes and contain all the provisions of the original agreement. They were renewed again on June 30, 2021, and amended three weeks later to give producers “the ability to implement mandatory per-production vaccination guidelines for cast and crew in Zone A.” Zone A, where unmasked actors work, is the most restrictive of the safe work zones on sets. They were renewed on 11 November 2021, 24 January 2022 and again on 16 February, 29 April, 6 May and 30 September.

The mandate is subject to “subject to reasonable accommodation, as required by law, for persons who cannot be vaccinated because of disability or sincerely held religious belief, practice or observance.” However, many opponents of the vaccination mandate say these exemptions are too rarely granted.