What is collective bargaining and a collective agreement?
Our collective bargaining is the negotiation process between a group of people representing UBCP/ACTRA Performers and a group of people representing the Producers. The goal of negotiations is to reach a collective agreement which sets out terms and conditions for unionized Performers, as well as the rights, privileges, and obligations of the Union, Producers, and Performers.
What is the British Columbia Master Production Agreement?
The British Columbia Master Production Agreement (BCMPA) is one of UBCP/ACTRA’s most important collective agreements and one that is negotiated by UBCP/ACTRA and not ACTRA National. It defines working terms and conditions, and minimum rates for UBCP/ACTRA members performing in film, television and new media within British Columbia and the Yukon, while the ACTRA IPA covers productions elsewhere in Canada. The BCMPA is the collective agreement between performers, represented by UBCP/ACTRA, and producers, represented by the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
Other important UBCP/ACTRA Collective Agreements include the British Columbia Master Animation Agreement (BCMAA), several Video Game Agreements, and Ultra Low Budget Agreements.
Why is UBCP/ACTRA bargaining now?
The current BCMPA was extended by one year in 2024 and expires on March 31, 2025. The effective dates of the agreement, also known as the “term”, are subject to negotiation between UBCP/ACTRA and the Producers. Historically this has been in three year blocks from April 1st to March 31st.
In British Columbia, UBCP/ACTRA, The DGC BC. and the BC Council of Film Unions (made up of IATSE 891, IATSE 669, and the Teamsters 155) are bound by a decision at the BC Labour Relations Board to maintain the same expiry dates of our respective collective agreements so that we are all up for negotiation at the same time.
Who represents UBCP/ACTRA members at the bargaining table?
The bargaining team is made up of UBCP/ACTRA Members representing various performance categories. The team is chaired by UBCP/ACTRA President Keith Martin Gordey, led by UBCP/ACTRA’s Director of Contracts and Lead Negotiator, Lesley Brady, and supported by our knowledgeable and experienced staff. The team is also joined by Tyman Stewart – Talent Agent and VP of TAMAC, Marie Kelly – ACTRA National Executive Director, and for the first time Eleanor Noble – ACTRA National President. Meet your bargaining committee here. Meet your bargaining committee here.
Who represents the producers in BCMPA bargaining?
UBCP/ACTRA negotiates the collective agreement with two producer associations; the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), representing English-language producers across Canada, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) representing major American studios like Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros/Discovery, Netflix and others.
What happens if the contract expires before an agreement has been reached?
While bargaining continues, the terms and conditions of the current BCMPA continue to apply. If bargaining continues beyond March 31, 2025, the terms and conditions of the current BCMPA will continue to apply until a new agreement is reached.
How does UBCP/ACTRA prepare for bargaining?
In advance of each round of negotiations, UBCP/ACTRA seeks the input of members who have worked under the collective agreement through focus groups, surveys, and direct conversations with Performers active in various committees. This first step allows issues and concerns to be raised and helps identify areas of prioritization for the negotiations. From this research, UBCP/ACTRA compiles a set of proposals which speak to the priority issues and concerns brought forward. From there, the proposals are shared with the bargaining team to discuss in depth during Wages & Working Conditions Meetings. After hearing from the members, the bargaining team then determines which proposals to put forward as part of the final proposal package for the current round of negotiations. Any proposals that do not make it into the final package are not lost but get filed to be brought forward for consideration in future rounds of bargaining.
What are some of the major challenges in this round?
Every round of negotiations presents different challenges. For the upcoming negotiations, UBCP/ACTRA members have expressed concerns about health and safety, the residual model being out of date, wage increases not keeping pace with rising cost of living and record inflation, the threat of artificial intelligence, and respect for Performers across all performance categories.
How will UBCP/ACTRA tackle issues surrounding AI during the bargaining process?
The threat of AI replacing human creativity is a battle for workers globally. In our industry, the unions and guilds are united on this issue. SAG-AFTRA’s historic strike established boundaries around the use of AI. ACTRA was successful in achieving the same protections as SAG-AFTRA in the recent IPA negotiations and now it is UBCP/ACTRA’s turn.
I thought we just finished negotiations?
You are probably thinking about the recent negotiations of the ACTRA Independent Production Agreement (IPA) which applies to Performers working in film, television and new media in Canada, outside of BC and the Yukon. That agreement was just negotiated and ratified by the members who worked under that agreement. The BCMPA is similar to the IPA but is negotiated separately in BC with slightly different negotiating producers.