LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — On Monday, trade unions reached a deal with major studios that will pave the way for the widespread resumption of production on film and television, ending the months-long shutdown imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.
The deal, announced jointly by the Directors Guild of America, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Basic Crafts unions and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, includes a raft of new measures intended to protect the safety and livelihoods of workers in the industry.
The measures include stringent testing requirements for cast and crew, including regular fast-result testing during production.
The deal also calls for the production environment to be carefully controlled, allowing for physical social distancing during production and limiting potential exposure to cast and crew through the use of a ‘zone’ system.
Additionally, each production will be required to have a dedicated COVID-19 compliance supervisor responsible for ensuring that safety protocols are adhered to by a film or television production.
The agreement with the studios also secured expanded sick leave, including 10 days of COVID-19 paid sick leave, per producer, that can be used for testing, exhibiting symptoms, isolation or self-quarantines, or when a member of their household tests positive for COVID-19
Employees who go on COVID-19 sick leave will be reinstated once they have been cleared to return to work, so long as their position continues to exist.
Employees will also be eligible for quarantine pay if required to quarantine at the request of an employer or by local law enforcement officials.
Though this process was not easy, unprecedented inter-union collaboration and unwavering solidarity enabled our unions to achieve strong COVID-19 protections that will translate into tangibly safer workplaces,” said IATSE International President Matthew Loeb in a joint statement.
