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Actors bow out of strike threat After marathon bargaining sessions held last weekend--which included one meeting that lasted 28 hours straight--Canada's actors' union reached a tentative agreement with film and TV producers. The need for a new agreement came when ACTRA's collective contract expired late last year. Despite record-breaking numbers of film productions across the country, producers suggested Canadian actors take pay cuts of up to 40 per cent, something ACTRA negotiators balked at. Before the weekend, the threat of strike action looked very real: ACTRA announced it had amassed a hefty strike fund, while American producers threatened to pull up stakes and return south due to the uncertainty. Some estimates suggested as much as a quarter billion dollar's worth of business would have been lost. The agreement--which is tentative until ratified officially by union members--will last for two and a half years and includes increases in performance fees and better protection for bit players. --Matthew Hays |