U.S. Studios Strike Labor Deal With Canadian Actors

Peter White and Lynette Rice
·2 min read

While the AMPTP is going down to the wire in negotiations with U.S. actors, their counterparts north of the border have struck their own deal.

The studios have secured a contract extension with Canadian actors that includes a 5% increase in wages.

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The deal is between the AMPTP, in partnership with the Canadian Media Producers Association – BC Branch, and the BC Council of Film Unions, which includes IATSE 891 and IATSE 669 and Teamsters 155, the Directors Guild of Canada – BC and UBCP/ACTRA.

The move is a slight surprise given the labor tensions in the States.

Vancouver is the second largest production center in North America with shows such as Fire Country, The Good Doctor and Riverdale all shooting there.

The contract still needs to be ratified by its members.

Ellie Harvie, President, UBCP/ACTRA, the local actors union, said that the 2021-2024 BC Master Production Agreement Extension, which will maintain the current terms and conditions with a 5% wage increase would now run through the end of March 2025.

“The extension is intended to provide immediate labour [sic] stability in BC thereby increasing work opportunities at a time when many in our industry have been out of work due to the labour uncertainty in the U.S. A 5% wage increase is unprecedented; it represents the largest one-year increase in the history of this collective agreement and matches the first-year increase recently ratified by the Directors Guild of America membership,” she said. “Additionally, a one-year extension allows a new Executive Board to find its footing prior to full negotiations taking place.”

The voting period runs through July 20.

However, the deal was met with suspicion by some south of the border.

Spartacus creator Steven DeKnight, who has written on shows including Smallville and Buffy The Vampire Slayer, said that the “AMPTP weasels are trying to pull a fast one”. “This is a transparent attempt to put a chill on the possible SAG-AFTRA strike and squash the American Film and Television labor movement,” he added.

She Said star Sarah Ann Masse warned Canadian actors not to “fall for this transparent attempt by the AMPTP to subdue the desperately important impact of the WGA strike/negotiations and SAG-AFTRA negotiations”, while Andra Whipple, who has worked on Adam Ruins Everything said, “I’m gonna need Canadians to rally on their famously nice schtick right now and recognize this is BS. But also, this is clearly a DESPERATE attempt to break the spirits of US Labor and SAG, in particular. Don’t fucking let them. Look how fucking scared they are.”

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