Producers engage ACTRA members because they meet a standard of skill, training and dedication to their craft. As an ACTRA member, you are expected to be professional. You also have rights and standards you can expect as a professional.
Rights of ACTRA’s Full members in good standing:
- do not require permits to work under ACTRA’s jurisdiction.
- are entitled to the many rights and protections negotiated through ACTRA agreements, including minimum rates of pay.
- enjoy preference of engagement over all other non‐member performers.
- can participate in ratification votes for ACTRA agreements if they meet the eligibility requirements defined in the ACTRA By-Laws.
- can vote in ACTRA Toronto elections.
- can play a direct role in governing their union by holding elected positions at ACTRA Toronto;
- receive health and insurance benefits through the AFBS.
- participate in free professional educational opportunities provided by ACTRA Toronto.
- are eligible to put forward fellow performers or be nominated for the ACTRA Awards in Toronto.
- are eligible for consideration by other performers’ unions under ACTRA’s reciprocal agreements.
ACTRA Member Responsibilities:
- When you accept a booking from your agent or the casting director, make sure you have a clear idea of the requirements of the role, the location, the time and the date of the shoot. If anything is unclear, ask questions.
- At the time of booking, inform your agent or the casting director if you have a commitment for other work that could limit your ability to do overtime on that day.
- Your word is your bond. If you accept a booking, you’re committed to that production for the duration of the production day. Don’t cancel!
- Be on time. A professional always arrives prepared to work at least 10 minutes before call.
- Be organized. If the production asks you to bring wardrobe, have it ready to show to the wardrobe assistants.
- Follow instructions. When you’re moved from place to place, go quickly and quietly.
- Respect the set. Don’t rearrange things to suit yourself.
- Do your job, remember your actions and perform the same actions each time – unless directed otherwise.
- Listen attentively. Don’t make the Assistant Directors (AD) repeat instructions.
- Be aware of equipment and what the camera is doing. Learn to know when you’re in the frame and when you’re not.
- When you go for a break, tell the AD, Production Assistant or casting person responsible where you’re going. Don’t just wander off, and always return immediately. Try to take washroom breaks during slow times.
- Don’t:
- bring valuables to a production.
- take food, drinks or anything that’s not part of the set onto the set.
- wear your own makeup to the set unless asked.
- rearrange your hair, makeup or wardrobe for personal comfort.
Obligations of ACTRA Members:
These rules are essential in maintaining our collective agreements and in protecting the rates and working conditions we have won through years of negotiations.
- Do not work for engagers that are not signatory to the relevant ACTRA agreement.
- Do not work without a signed contract.
- Do not work for a fee less than the minimum set out in the relevant agreement.
- Only work with ACTRA members in good standing or non‐members permitted by ACTRA.
Your Rights on Set:
- The right to a fair wage.
- The right to compensation for use of your image and performance.
- The right to safe and acceptable working conditions.
- The right to artistic freedom.
- The right to maintain control over artistic output.
- The right to be treated respectfully as an integral part of the film and television production industry and as a contributing member of the Canadian cultural fabric.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. A booking is not a booking if it violates the collective agreement. We say no because, as ACTRA members, we promise each other to uphold and defend our collective agreements.
ACTRA members have no option to do otherwise. Adhering to the terms of our collectively bargained and ratified ACTRA collective agreements is a fundamental obligation of ACTRA membership. Your agent should advocate on your behalf, and if they cannot get a satisfactory response or answer, please call the ACTRA Toronto office to be connected with a Business Representative.
ACTRA’s collective agreements are just that, agreements, and not lists of all the things we’d like to see. Their terms reflect the ongoing conversation between producers/engagers and ACTRA. We can think of all kinds of ways to improve and strengthen those terms, and the goal of our negotiations is to continually improve the agreement over time.
Ahead of bargaining, ACTRA branches hold focus groups and conduct surveys about changes members would like to see addressed in negotiations. This information is used to inform ACTRA’s bargaining proposals. All ACTRA members are encouraged to participate in their respective branch’s focus groups or surveys.
All ACTRA collective agreements are living documents that grow and change through negotiation to respond to changes in the industry. Over ACTRA’s nearly 80-year history, our collective agreements have continually challenged and changed the reality of the industry and dramatically improved the terms and working conditions for performers in our jurisdiction.
From time-to-time, ACTRA members collectively negotiate agreements with targeted discounts to incentivize Canadian production and to increase work opportunities. These agreements are then ratified by eligible members in a referendum vote.
We shut the door to such bookings when we join with other members to organize our jurisdiction and set minimum working terms and conditions. As ACTRA members, we agree not to accept bookings that are below the minimum terms defined in the collective agreement. To do so would mean violating our work rules and abandoning our obligations to each other as ACTRA members.
On the contrary, incentives in ACTRA’s collectively negotiated and democratically ratified agreements demonstrate the union’s power to respond flexibly to a changing business environment. All other performers’ unions and guilds make similar accommodations.
Understand your rights and obligation as a member. ACTRA’s work rules and the terms of our collective agreements are well-publicized and available for download on our website. Violating those work rules exposes a member to discipline under ACTRA’s Constitution and By-Laws, which are also readily available online. Don’t put your membership in jeopardy by ignoring the obligations you assumed when you became an ACTRA member. Your agent should advocate on your behalf, and if they cannot get a satisfactory response or answer, please call the ACTRA Toronto office to be connected with a Business Representative.
No. The source of our union’s ability to protect performers is our solidarity. United, we bargain. Divided, we beg. We don’t get to cherry-pick the agreements and choose which articles will apply to us. A condition of becoming an ACTRA member is our agreement to only work for signatory Producers and never to accept inferior terms to those in the agreement. That’s the deal.
Under ACTRA’s work rules, there is no option to work locally unless you are a local. ACTRA-signatory Productions cannot hire non-local performers on the condition that they work as a local. If you are not a local, you may accept the booking but not without being paid according to the minimum terms of the relevant collective agreement. ACTRA does not get a copy of audition breakdowns. If you see a Production violating the terms of one of ACTRA’s collective agreements by asking a Performer to “work local,” please report it to us at info@actratoronto.com!
