Reprinted from Deadline Hollywood by David Robb on August 28, 2020.
Hollywood’s unions and management’s Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are “very close to an agreed upon framework for a safe return to work,” an industry source tells Deadline.
Their ongoing negotiations cover a wide range of safety issues that were left unresolved by the protocols adopted in a “white paper” issued June 1 by the Industry-Wide Labor Management Safety Committee Task Force, and the “Safe Way Forward” guidelines issued June 12 by SAG-AFTRA, the DGA, IATSE, Teamsters Local 399 and the Basic Crafts unions. …
“The real issue is the testing protocols,” said an industry source. “And there’s the issue of sick pay for those who may test positive for COVID-19, and safe travel to work sites. There are a lot of moving parts to this. In a way, it’s reinventing the industry, but I’m cautiously optimistic that we will have this done by Labor Day. I think we’re very close and will have this wrapped up next week. We’re close, and I’m confident we will work these things out and get people back to work.” …
