TORONTO – Canada’s star performers including Sonja Smits, Fiona Reid,Sarah Polley, Gordon Pinsent, Eric Peterson, Wendy Crewson and Tom McCamus gave producers a wake-up call today, saying they won’t accept producer proposals or work with producers on the terms presented to ACTRA during negotiations for a new film and television agreement (IPA).

In response to producer rollback demands, the performers have signed a letter saying, "We won’t accept these proposals or anything like them.

We won’t accept engagements with producers on these terms. We demand to be treated with the dignity and respect we deserve. We want our bargaining committee to do whatever is required to win a fair new contract, with our support."

The performers have a message for their Canadian actor colleagues. Their letter, sent to 21,000 ACTRA members across the country, says, "If you don’t want to take a 10-25% pay cut, or see your residuals dwindle and working conditions deteriorate – then we urge you to join us in rejecting these proposals. That means committing to refuse engagements on these unacceptable terms, no matter what happens in the months to come."

November 2, 2006

Dear fellow performer,

We the undersigned are colleagues of yours. We’re fellow actors, and fellow members of ACTRA.

We want to share with you our support for ACTRA’s negotiating committee. And we want to urge you to stand strong and united with ACTRA against the producers’ proposals that would gut the Independent Production Agreement – the main ACTRA agreement we all work under.

Here’s what’s going on.

On October 23 and October 24, ACTRA’s bargaining committee met with negotiators representing the producers. The producers want:
• Pay cuts of 10% to 25% on substantially every Canadian production.

• They want to attack our residuals system—including lengthening the term from four years to seven years before you receive residuals.

• They want to take huge steps backwards on working conditions – including regressing to a ten-hour turnaround.

• They want free rein to use and re-use performers’ work on the Internet, in mobisodes, and other digital media however they see fit, with no additional pay to performers.

• They proposed numerous other steps that would take us back fifteen years.

Our bargaining committee has told the producers’ associations they won’t accept these proposals. They asked for our support and our opinion.

Here’s what we said…We won’t accept these proposals or anything like them. We won’t accept engagements with producers on these terms. We demand to be treated with the dignity and respect we deserve.

We want our bargaining committee to do whatever is required to win a fair new contract, with our support. We want to send our fellow ACTRA members a letter, so here it is. And here’s what we’d like to say

to you:

If you don’t want to take a 10-25% pay cut, or see your residuals dwindle and working conditions deteriorate – then we urge you to join us in rejecting these proposals.

That means committing to refuse engagements on these unacceptable terms, no matter what happens in the months to come. As individual performers we are strong. But together – as a union of performers – we will win this battle. We are second to none.

ACTRA and the CFTPA/APFTQ began negotiations for a new film and television agreement (IPA) on October 23. ACTRA has filed for conciliation. A mediator has been appointed and the two sides next meet on November 14. The current IPA expires December 31, 2006.