Narrow Margin: AFTRA Ratifies Primetime Contract by 62.4%
Digital Media Law:
AFTRA has ratified the primetime contract, but SAG’s assault had great effect. The margin – the percent of yes votes – was only 62.4%. The percentage of no votes was 37.6%. Turnout was not released.
In contrast, the margin on the somewhat similar daytime pact (the AFTRA Network Code), ratified April 30, was 93%. In other words, SAG drove the margin down by 30 points – well over what I (I had predicted 20 points) and other expected when SAG’s anti-AFTRA campaign began.
Thus, although the deal passed, this has to be counted as a partial victory for SAG. A strike authorization vote still seems unlikely, because a 75% yes vote is required for passage and the fact that the AFTRA deal passed makes a successful strike authorization vote questionable. Nonetheless, SAG will be emboldened by the low yes vote achieved by AFTRA, and is likely to resist…