Tangible gains that union creative professionals have made in their recent collective bargaining agreements:

Pay

• Actors' Equity members working on Broadway League touring productions secured salary improvements with some members receiving 26% increases in the first year of the contract and all other members earning at least 4% increases in each year of the contract.

• Actors’ Equity members working at Chicago Area Theatres secured wage increases of 13% to 46% over the duration of their union contract. Additionally, they negotiated for increases in compensation of 12.5% to 25% for actors who play instruments on-stage.

• Actors' Equity members working on League of Resident Theatres (LORT) productions secured salary increases of up to 26% over the course of their union contract. Additionally, stage managers won overtime pay for work they do outside of rehearsal and performance hours.

• American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) members who are dancers at the American Ballet Theatre secured cost of living increases of between 9% and 19% (varying by rank) across their three year contract.

• AGMA members who are part of the Los Angeles Master Chorale secured wage increases of 6% in the first year of their contract and 3% in each of the remaining three years of their contract.

• Stagehands who are International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) members at Bodyvox doubled the base wage to $32 per hour with their first union contract and secured annual cost of living adjustments of 3.5% to 6.5%, depending on the regional inflation rate.

• IATSE members working in the costume shop of the Los Angeles Opera secured wage increases between 30% to 52% depending on job classification and time limits on how long someone can be classified in the two lowest wage categories with their union contract.

• The crew at The Alliance Theatre who are IATSE members secured wage increases between 8% and 22% (depending on classification), daily overtime after 10 hours, and longevity bonuses.

• Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) members at Universal Studios Hollywood secured 29% raises with their latest union contract.

• Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) members employed on scripted television shows, including animated television shows, and theatrical productions secured 7% wage increases in the first year of their contract, 4% in the second year, and 3.5% in the third year.

• SAG-AFTRA members working on animated television productions secured a 26% improvement in residuals (direct payments to members) for high-budget animated programs made for subscription streaming services like Amazon Prime and Hulu.

• Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) members at MSNBC secured guaranteed 3% pay increases every year for three years and received a 2% bonus when they ratified their union contract.

• WGAE members at iHeartMedia secured a first union contract that provides for a salary floor of $63,000 for employees in Los Angeles and $58,000 for employees in New York. Additionally, the contract guarantees pay increases of at least 3% in the first year of the contract and 2% in the last two years of the contract. Further, the contract ensures that employees will receive time and a half pay for working on a holiday.

Healthcare

• Actors’ Equity members working at Chicago Area Theatres secured protections for reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare.

• American Federation of Musicians (AFM) members who work on theatrical motion pictures, scripted television shows, and new media secured healthcare contributions for streamed content.

• AGMA members who work at the American Ballet Theatre secured provisions in their union contract for two physical therapists to travel with the company when they are on tour and to be available to members for the four weeks preceding any performance period​.

• IATSE members working in the costume shop of the Los Angeles Opera secured healthcare contributions for overhire workers, or workers hired on an as-needed basis.

Retirement

• AGMA members at the American Ballet Theatre secured a 5% increase in retirement contributions by the third year​ of their union contract.

• AGMA members at the Los Angeles Master Chorale secured a 1.2% increase to their retirement contributions in their union contract.

• Directors Guild of America (DGA) members who work for ABC, CBS, and NBC in broadcast news, sports, documentary, operations, and local stations secured an increase in the rate the networks contribute to the DGA Pension Plan, bringing the network contribution rate to 9%.

• IATSE members working in the costume shop of the Los Angeles Opera secured a 3% increase to retirement contributions with their union contract.

• WGAE members at iHeartMedia enshrined their 401(k) matching program with their union contract.

Paid Time Off (PTO) and Work-life Balance

• Actors' Equity members working at Chicago Area Theatres secured improved work-life balance protections that provide coverage when stage managers need to take time off for illness, vacation, and important life events.

• IATSE members who are the crew at The Alliance Theatre secured additional paid time off when they work on holidays.

• IATSE members at Bodyvox won classification of 11 different holidays as qualifying for premium pay when members work on those days as well as one hour of paid time off for every 30 hours worked in their union contract.

• IATSE members working at Nickelodeon Animation Studios secured increased bereavement leave.

• WGAE members at MSNBC secured the ability to decline on-call assignments and eliminated the 6-week on-call rotation schedule that was previously in place. Additionally, employees who work on holidays will get a comp day, which is paid out if it is not used within six months.

Work Expenses

• Actors’ Equity members working on Broadway League touring productions secured an increase of between 10% and 23% in the housing per diem in the first year (depending on housing options). The new touring agreement guarantees producer-paid housing options for members across the entire touring landscape, an improvement from previous touring agreements in which some members who were part of a different touring agreement with the Broadway League needed to pay for housing upfront and then get reimbursed, leading some to partly pay out-of-pocket if the housing in a city exceeded the reimbursement cap.

• AGMA members who are part of the Los Angeles Master Chorale secured a 50% increase in their annual clothing stipend and a new annual clothing reimbursement of up to $100 for Auxiliary Choristers. Members also secured a 15%  per diem increase in the event of a travel delay.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• AFM members who work on content for motion pictures, scripted television, and new media negotiated AI protections, including compensation when the employer uses their musical work to prompt an AI system and acknowledgment that musicians are human beings to establish that human-made artistic content takes precedence over computer-generated content.

• DGA members working in motion pictures and scripted television secured AI provisions including: consultation between both parties if either wants to use generative artificial intelligence (GAI) in a creative capacity; twice yearly meetings with the employer to discuss advancements in AI technology; and language stating that GAI is not a person.

• SAG-AFTRA members who work in motion pictures, scripted television, and new media secured language in their contract that requires their consent and compensation for the collection, use, and manipulation of AI-powered assets like digital replicas.

• SAG-AFTRA members who work in animated television shows secured provisions related to AI and GAI, including: producers need consent to use a performer’s name as a prompt in a GAI system to create a synthetic voice; producers must notify the union and negotiate if they want to use a synthetic voice instead of a voice actor in a production; regular meetings with producers to discuss AI (i.e. methods of tracking the use of digital replicas); and a “voice actor” can only refer to humans.

• WGAE members who work in online media have negotiated for protections against byline misuse for material written by GAI and layoffs due to AI. They also secured consent when an employer wants to clone their voices (for example, for a podcast production).

• WGAE members who work in motion pictures and scripted television secured provisions on AI and GAI that include: employers must disclose whether any material given to the writer was generated by AI or incorporates AI-generated material; writers covered by the agreement can choose to use AI in their work as long as the employer consents to its use; acknowledgement that neither AI nor GAI is a writer; and employers cannot undermine a writer’s credit by using AI to generate or rewrite literary material and/or create source material.

• WGAE members at iHeartMedia secured the ability to bargain over AI use at work.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Anti-Harassment

• Actors’ Equity members working on productions at LORT member theatres secured widened equity, diversity, and inclusion protections, including those regarding hair styling and costuming. Additionally, the agreement uses gender neutral language throughout and includes other gender inclusive initiatives. For example, requiring gender-affirming skin parts, or undergarments that correlate to a person’s chosen identity. Auditions are now more accessible for d/Deaf performers as well. Expanded protections surrounding bullying, discrimination, and harassment, including the ability to waive the timeline to file a claim if the trauma of an incident prevents an individual from reporting sooner were also negotiated.

• IATSE members who are facilities and custodial workers at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival secured language accessibility in meetings and documents, and a bilingual pay differential with their union contract.

• Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) members working for Broadway League theatres secured contract language that requires employers to share anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies prior to first rehearsal. The contract requires policies to include reporting structures and anti-retaliation language.

• WGAE members at many digital news companies have secured in their union contracts the creation of diversity committees made up of management and union representatives with financial support from the company to support diversity work, professional development, and attendance at relevant conferences.

• WGAE members at Spotify secured protections that guarantee that the employer will not ask for an employee’s immigration information unless legally required to do so. Employees are also permitted to request a meeting about securing a green card through the employer after they have worked at Spotify for one year.

Telework

• WGAE members at MSNBC codified the existing expectation that they work in the office three days per week. Additionally, the contract requires the company provide WGAE members with 75 days' notice and an opportunity to bargain if they want to change the remote work policy. WGAE members now have the right to strike over changes to the remote work policy.

• WGAE members who work for CBS News Streaming negotiated for a 30-day notice period before management can change their hybrid work schedule.