SAG-AFTRA reached a tentative agreement with the studios on unpaid allowances for Covid testing. The awards in question relate to Covid test payments on days when performers were also paid for donations.
In the return-to-work deal between Hollywood’s corporations and unions, actors and actresses who drive away from home to take a Covid test on a day they don’t work for the producer are entitled to a fixed rate test allowance, if not otherwise paid on the day.
The Return to Workplace Agreement states that “an employee or potential employee who is not a background actor who travels outside their home, on a day when the person is not working for the manufacturer to take a test, will not receive a $250 stipend.. A supporting actor will receive a $100 stipend, subject to pension and health insurance contributions, only if the supporting actor is employed by the producer after the test… However, no stipend will be due if the employee is otherwise employed for the day and will be paid.”
The dispute arose because “several production companies” allegedly failed to pay cast and supporting cast a Covid testing fee on test days when they would also be paid to try on a wardrobe. SAG-AFTRA then filed lawsuits and requests for arbitration against the companies. These demands represent SAG-AFTRA’s challenge to the studios’ position that if an artist is adequately compensated on a given day, the studio does not also have to pay Covid testing allowances for the same day.
As part of the preliminary settlement, the studios have now agreed to pay those verified claims allowances in full, but artists must file claims in cases where they have not received their allowances, including artists who previously filed separate claims with the union. The deadline for these submissions is April 14, and claims submitted after this deadline will not be paid.
“SAG-AFTRA sent a letter to its performers on Friday regarding a possible settlement with some producers for Covid testing based on daily claims,” the union said in a statement to Deadline. “The letter mentioned the eligibility and required action to receive the payment. As detailed in the letter, the deadline for the artist action is April 14. SAG-AFTRA has no further comment at this time.”
Source: Deadline
Bernice Bonaparte is an author and entertainment journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a passion for pop culture and a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest entertainment news, Bernice has become a trusted source for information on the entertainment industry.
