SAG-AFTRA and Telemundo reached a historic agreement covering Spanish-language television performers

SAG-AFTRA announced it has reached a first-ever tentative agreement with Telemundo covering Spanish-language television performers. The contract marks a breakthrough after 15 months of negotiations that followed a vote by Telemundo performers to unionize on March 8, 2017.

Among the key elements of the new three-year deal are:

-Contributions to and participation in the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan and SAG-Producers Pension Plan for the first time
-Residuals for both foreign and domestic exploitation and streaming platforms, based on a percentage of Telemundo’s gross receipts
-First ever guaranteed minimum rates for all covered performer categories (including actors, stunt performers, singers, and dancers)
-Annual increases in all newly-established minimums between 1-2% per year

Newly established working conditions and safety protections, including minimum rest period between calls of 10 hours, the requirement for qualified personnel to coordinate stunts, provisions regarding the protection of minors and, overtime, holiday pay, and per diem when on location.

“This is a historic moment for Spanish-language performers in our industry. I am incredibly proud of our negotiating team and what they have accomplished. I also want to acknowledge Telemundo’s efforts in working with us to reach this agreement: a first contract with residuals, minimums, and pension and health ̶ three pillars that set a strong foundation for generations to come,” said Gabrielle Carteris, president of SAG-AFTRA.

Negotiating Committee Chair and Telemundo performer Pablo Azar said, “We applaud Telemundo for working together with us to achieve this agreement. This agreement reaffirms that a strong union contract goes hand in hand with successful programming.”