The Stage

SAG hails success of Global Rule One

Published Tuesday 25 May 2004 at 09:45 by Judd Hollander

The Screen Actors Guild recently announced their enforcement policy of Global Rule One to be a resounding success. According to SAG, since the policy went into effect on May 1, 2002, the rule has helped to generate a whopping 200% increase in foreign theatrical and television productions shot under SAG regulations.

SAG Rule One, which is stamped on the back of every member’s identification card, forbids the membership to work on any production unless they are under a SAG contract. However, this practice applied only to works shot in the United States, not those abroad. As such, SAG members may not have been entitled to the same wages and protections as they would have had they been working in the United States. Additionally, if the actors were working without a SAG contract, the producers would not have been obligated to contribute to the union’s pension and health funds - contributions which are based on a percentage of the actor’s earnings on a particular project.

Since productions shot overseas were originally few and far between, the union paid scant attention to them. However, as foreign film and television shoots employing US actors increased substantially over the past few years, the union looked to make such productions conform to SAG rules. Global Rule One, which states that “no members shall work as a performer for any producer who has not executed a basic minimum agreement with the Guild which is full force and effect”, was created to do just that. Between 1996, when the matter first began to be studied seriously by SAG and the time Global Rule One went into effect, the Guild estimated it had lost approximately $22.9 million in potential revenues. If the trend had continued for another five years, SAG estimated its loss would be about $35.8 million.

SAG’s announcement of the rule was initially greeted by vocal protests from around the world, with many foreign unions and producers complaining about restraint of trade and national sovereignty, not to mention jurisdictional questions. However, two years later, such protests have all but disappeared. According to SAG, the union reached agreements with 69 foreign theatrical motion pictures in 2002, 120 in 2003 and an additional 60 new productions so far in 2004.

“There is no greater example of solidarity in action than Global Rule One,” SAG president Melissa Gilbert announced in a statement. “Through the continuing display of unionism, SAG members have demonstrated unwavering support that has firmed up protections for working actors and provided our health and pension plans with a much needed boost.”

Monetarily, Guild member earnings on foreign productions since the implementation of Global Rule One has topped $120 million as of May 12, 2004. An additional $6 million has been contributed to the SAG pension and health plans during this period. These monies come from approximately 650 jobs.

In terms of television productions, 47 such projects employing SAG members were operating with a union agreement before Global Rule One was enforced. That total now stands at a record high of 79.

“We are very pleased that every international performers union has worked with SAG on the Global Rule One mandate,” said Sallie Weaver, SAG national deputy director of contracts. “With their cooperation, SAG members will reap not only the immediate results of fair compensation and working conditions, but [also] the future benefit of realising their pension and health benefits.”

Overseas foreign theatrical productions which have agreed to abide under the Global Rule One regulations include 135 Canadian projects, 75 from the United Kingdom and more than 47 productions from such countries as Australia, Spain, Italy, France, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Ireland, China, South Africa, India, Argentina, Austria, Belgium and Holland.