Dear Members:
The DGA, together with the IATSE and Teamsters Locals 399 and 817, have reached agreement with the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) on an updated COVID-19 commercial production safety agreement that will take us through mid-year. The new agreement creates a more flexible set of protocols for areas of the United States and Canada with low COVID rates, while maintaining core elements to keep sets safe.
The primary difference from the previous agreement is changing the "escalation trigger", which determines whether the more frequent testing cadence is required, to now be based upon weekly COVID-19 hospital admissions. The Agreement leaves in place the stricter testing requirements for areas experiencing higher admission rates.
A pre-employment test is still required for everyone present on set in all situations, which now must be done no more than two days prior to the start of employment (previously three). Below the escalation trigger, ongoing weekly testing will be required for unvaccinated crew in Zones A and B. Unvaccinated Zone C employees require bi-weekly testing after the pre-employment test. A lab-based PCR diagnostic test, a PCR rapid test, or a LAMP molecular test will satisfy the testing requirements.
For areas that fall below the escalation trigger, masking will not be required in most settings, with the specific exception of riding in vehicles with others, although a commercial production may implement stricter standards than local government rules require for the safety of the production crew.
Unless required by law, daily health screening questionnaires are not mandatory but may be utilized by employers at their discretion.
The following current agreement conditions remain in place:
- Vaccination: The new agreement continues to allow employers to mandate that employees in Zone A be fully vaccinated.
- COVID Compliance Manager: Hiring of a dedicated COVID-19 compliance manager responsible for safety compliance and enforcement, who will be accessible to cast and crew at all times during working hours.
- Testing Stipend: The stipend for testing on a day when not employed will remain the same for fully vaccinated employees ($175) and unvaccinated employees ($100).
- Quarantine Pay and Sick Leave: All employees will continue to receive 10 days of COVID-19 paid sick leave, per Employer per calendar year, and the leave can be used for any of the eligible COVID-19 events (e.g. testing positive, exhibiting symptoms, isolation or self-quarantines, or when a member of their household tests positive for COVID-19).
The agreement allows employers to impose more stringent requirements regarding masking and testing as the production circumstances require.
The Agreement will remain in effect through July 31, 2022. The parties will continue closely monitoring Covid-19 developments and will consider further modifications at that time.
If you have any questions, please contact Juanita Butler at jbutler@dga.org or (310) 752-5989.
