LOS ANGELES – The unions representing casts and crews announced Sept. 21 that they have reached an agreement with the major studios on protocols to allow the industry to safely re-open. The protocols are based on The Safe Way Forward multi-union report released in June.
More details reported by Stage Directions magazine (www.stage-directions.com, www.plsn.me/SD-921):
The protocols pave the way for creative workers, who have been hard hit by the pandemic, to resume their crafts and livelihoods in workplaces redesigned around their health. Guiding principles include strictly enforced testing regimens and safety protocols, a zone-based system, and diligent use of personal protective equipment (PPE). The new measures will be implemented by employers in order to minimize the risk of transmission. To ensure workers’ livelihoods are not burdened with added uncertainty during the pandemic, the agreement also includes COVID-19 sick leave and quarantine pay.
The agreement is the outcome of unprecedented coordination and solidarity between the Directors Guild of America (DGA), International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) and the Basic Crafts, and Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). This group worked with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) for months to develop science-based protocols to minimize the risk of transmission, designed with the unique work environments of film and television production in mind.
The new guidelines are based on The Safe Way Forward report released by the unions in June, and developed in consultation with leading epidemiologists and experts; as well as the preceding industry white paper¹ delivered to state governments and agencies to examine the resumption of production.
¹The white paper was developed by the Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee Task Force consisting of the unions named here, together with the AMPTP.
