AFTRA Approves New Contract With Studios

The membership of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists approved a new three-year contract with the major Hollywood studios. More than 60 percent of the union’s members voted in favor of the contract despite the larger Screen Actors Guild encouraging them to turn down the deal. SAG is still negotiating with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on a new contract to replace the one that expired June 30. The contract ratified Tuesday was modeled after similar pacts negotiated by directors and writers, the Los Angeles Times reported. Although the accord includes pay hikes for actors and establishes payments for programs streamed on the Internet, SAG contended it didn’t meet such key bargaining goals as increasing residuals from DVD sales and ensuring that all Internet programs were covered by its contract, the Times reported.