Screen Actors Guild reaches accord for actors on basic cable, animation shows

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Actors who work on AMC’s ‘Mad Men’, Fox’s ‘The Simpsons’ and Disney Channel’s ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ are getting a pay bump, albeit a small one.

After just three days of negotiations, the Screen Actors Guild said Thursday it had concluded a new agreement covering basic cable television programs and network animated shows.

The proposed three-year contract, which takes effect July 1, 2011, was expected to be hammered out swiftly because it was modeled on a film and TV contract the union negotiated with the studios on Sunday. That deal followed six weeks of bargaining.

Under the basic cable accord, which must still be ratified by the union’s 125,000 members, members will receive a 2% increase in pay in each of the three years of their contract. Studios also have agreed to increase by 10% the contributions they pay to the union’s health and pension plan, a high priority for the guild.

-- Richard Verrier