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Though, buffet style food will not be allowed for those not completely vaccinated. These employees must social distance from any other employees during the duration of meal. However, fully vaccinated workers in Zone C and Zone D no longer need to be periodically tested for COVID-19, . Let’s get into exactly what’s changing to determine what it all means for working producers, cast, and crew. If you received the AstraZeneca or Novavax COVID-19 vaccines (which are not available in the U.S.), then you will be deemed to meet the booster requirement if you receive 3 vaccine doses, which may be a combination of vaccines authorized for use by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (which are Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson), AstraZeneca, or Novavax.

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Negotiations for Covid-19 Safety Agreement Continue Between DGA, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, Teamsters

It is understood that a Producer may implement such a policy for the employees described above on a production by production basis. Employees shall be provided with a reasonable period of time not to exceed one week from the effective date of this Agreement to schedule a vaccination appointment and receive a first vaccination, and thereafter six weeks from the date of the first vaccination to become fully vaccinated. In jurisdictions where vaccinations are not available or where Government restrictions prevent Employees from receiving a first or second vaccination within the allocated time period, Employees will satisfy the provision by making their best efforts to get fully vaccinated. A Producer that intends to implement such a policy must notify the applicable Unions/Guilds as soon as practicable prior to implementation…” But as more productions choose to have a mandatory vaccination policy for their sets, those who are not fully vaccinated or who do not qualify for the exemption will have less opportunity to work. “However, in no event shall an employee receive more than a total of ten days of temporary COVID-19 paid sick leave per Producer prior to May 1, 2021, which may cover one or more Eligible COVID-19 Events.

• Producers now have the option of making Zone A into a mandatory vaccination area, meaning COVID-19 vaccination can be required by the Producer.
• Notification of election to implement a mandatory vaccination policy must be provided to the applicable union prior to implementation.
• Only if it is not viable to obtain results before start day, shall a rapid or antigen test be allowed.
• While it has only been in effect since April 2021, prior to this modification, this agreement existed in a different form since last year.
• The current extension to the COVID-19 Safety Agreement loosens masking requirements as such that they’re not required in most settings, with the specific exception of shuttle vans.
• As of the writing of this post in June, SAG-AFTRA specifically, had released their own guidelines if employers chose to make vaccinations mandatory.

This section outlines mods made for pre-employment as well as testing requirements during working periods. On June 30th, 2021, IATSE, the DGA, SAG, Basic Crafts, and the Teamsters all agreed they needed more time to negotiate COVID-19 modifications and protocols from the original Return to Work agreement. As of July 19th, 2021, a new agreement was reached with certain modifications that will be in effect through September 30th, 2021. Notably, the updated COVID-19 Safety Agreement gives employers the right to adopt more stringent masking requirements on a production-by-production basis. Productions have the option to require masking of their own will, even when the case threshold criteria has not been breached.

Opponents also say that many employers have not been abiding by the provisions of the Return-To-Work agreement that allow for mandate exceptions based on medical reasons or sincerely held religious beliefs. They also argue that members who refuse to be vaccinated are being discriminated against in employment. “The end of the employee’s guaranteed employment period, provided that, for purposes of determining temporary COVID-19 paid sick massachusetts sober housing corporation leave, this period shall include the number of days that it was reasonably anticipated that the employee would work. Fully vaccinated and non-vaccinated workers in Zone A who work five or more days in one week will be subject to testing at least 3 times per week. Fully vaccinated Zone B employees shall be tested at least once every two weeks using a lab-based PCR diagnostic test, the results of which must be returned within 48 hours.

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Anousha Sakoui is an entertainment industry writer for the Los Angeles Times, covering topics such as labor and litigation in Hollywood. She has been a journalist for over 20 years, having joined the Times in 2019 and reported for the Financial Times, Wall Street what makes alcohol so addictive Journal and Dow Jones Newswires, and Bloomberg News and Businessweek Magazine. A recent surge in cases — 8.3 new weekly coronavirus-positive hospital admissions per 100,000 residents — has triggered masking on film sets once again around Los Angeles.

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Option to Implement Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination for Zone A

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Thursday confirmed the extension, which includes requirements for more stringent protocols on sets, such as masking and other safety measures, as well as sick pay for crew. The contract, which was due to expire July 15, has been renewed several times since it was first negotiated in 2020. First adopted on September 21, 2020, the protocols had originally been set to expire on April 30, 2021, butwere extended with no major modificationsand contained all of the original agreement’s provisions.

How remote employee payroll taxes apply to New York-based productions and if an employee’s physical… The Return to Work agreement, which is backed by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and a group of leading unions such as SAG-AFTRA and the Directors Guild of America, was first agreed to in the fall of 2020 as a way of restarting production safely. It has evolved over time to loosen requirements for testing and masking as coronavirus cases have waned. The agreement extends the protocols and makes modifications on workplace practices, taking into account regional transmission rates and employee vaccination status. Earlier this week, the guild’s safety committee met and recommended continuing the existing policy. In addition to compensation for testing, payment for COVID paid sick leave will also remain.

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However, those who aren’t vaccinated will have to wear face masks at all times, except when eating or drinking . If you are not eligible for the booster yet based on the CDC’s guidance, productions will verify your proof that you are not yet eligible. The latest iteration of the deal was initially set to expire on Friday, at which time both sides put the temporary extension in place. Talks over the latest version of the agreement began several weeks ago between unions including the Directors Guild of America, IATSE, the Teamsters and SAG-AFTRA and the negotiating entity for studios and streamers, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers .

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This will likely lessen some of the budget and scheduling impacts felt by the prior requirements. However, with cases still rising in certain areas, many workers will still be required to get tested and wear masks when applicable. The agreement states that as long as employees in Zone A who schedule their appointment as well as receive their first shot within this time period, will remain eligible to work on a production that implements this mandatory vaccination policy.

The employee has tested positive for COVID-19 or exhibited symptoms of COVID-19. The items in the RTW that were modified in April 2021 and updated in July, will stay in place until December 10th, 2021. They are items 7a and 7c of the original agreement, and section 8 of the latest. As of the writing of this post in June, SAG-AFTRA specifically, had released their own guidelines if employers chose to make vaccinations mandatory. This will be determined by each production according to the production’s own policies and procedures.

In order for Producers to enforce rules on the production set that apply to fully vaccinated versus not fully vaccinated individuals, Producers may require workers to wear identification that display fully vaccinated versus not fully vaccinated status while on the production set. Same as before, Background Actors seeking an exemption from vaccination based on a medical disability or a sincerely-held religious belief will need to seek, and be granted, an exemption from the production before they are allowed to work for the production. Productions will verify your proof that you have received all required doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and the booster. Unlike with prior vaccine doses, there is no need to wait 14 days after the booster to be deemed fully vaccinated; thus, you are deemed boosted as soon as you receive the booster.

The Behind the Scenes charity issues grants to entertainment technology professionals in need due to serious illness or injury that may be used for basic living, medical or funeral expenses. Membership is free for IA members and those who work under IATSE contracts. The Training Trust Fund is ready for an uptick in sign ups so encourage your members to register! In addition the newsletter today highlights various online craft classes including AVIXA, Safety First, and through LinkedIn Learning.

If you do not meet the criteria, do not want to submit for the job posting, or are unavailable, you can answer “No” or simply don’t respond to the message. In the event of a surge that forces the Agreement’s most stringent protocols into effect, productions now have the option of using a daily antigen testing regimen for Zone A workers. This modification stands in contrast to a neurotoxic medications previous mandate that required testing three times per week including one PCR test under the same conditions. Each employee’s six days of temporary COVID-19 paid sick leave may be used to cover one or more eligible COVID-19 events, meaning that the days may be distributed across multiple outbreaks or infections as necessary until the total number of available days reaches zero.