ACTRA seals deal with producers

Canadian actors ratify its agreement

By BRENDAN KELLY

In sharp contrast to its SAG counterpart, Canuck actors union ACTRA has ratified its contract agreement with producers’ orgs six months before its existing deal expires Dec. 31.

“We want to send a positive message to the U.S. and to the Canadian industry that there’s labor peace and let’s get to work,” said Stephen Waddell, ACTRA’s national executive director.

Some 98.3% of thesps voters voted in favor of the deal, which gives actors a rate increase of 2% each year for three years. The rest of the previous collective agreement’s terms and conditions remain unchanged.

The three-year deal was inked with the Canadian Film and Television Production Assn. and its Quebec counterpart.

The deal includes all film, TV and new-media performers in Canada, with the exception of British Columbia, where the ACTRA local negotiates separately.

The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists went on strike for two months in early 2007 to fight for rights to new-media work.

The Screen Actors Guild was mired in a bitter yearlong dispute with U.S. producers, and its deal, reached earlier this month, came following much division at the guild.