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Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Vox Media Workers Ratify New 3-Year Collective Bargaining Agreement With WGA East, Successfully Recognizing ‘Thrillist' & ‘The Dodo'
Workers at Vox Media represented by the Writers Guild of America East have officially ratified their first union contract, and details of the agreement have now been publicly shared. The 250-member unit voted unanimously to approve the three-year collective bargaining agreement, the union said Friday morning. More from Deadline Producer Scott Budnick Details How Hollywood Got California Lawmakers To Agree On Film & TV Tax Credit Program Expansion California Legislators Approve $750M Funding For Film & TV Tax Credit Program WGA East Ratifies First Union Contract With Nonfiction Producer Story Syndicate Nearly 2 Years After Organizing Workers The WGA East had been fighting to bring all Vox Media workers across various verticals under one union contract, which they said the company had been resisting, prompting the talks to grow contentious. The two sides narrowly avoided a strike by securing a tentative deal just over two weeks ago — and it looks like the union got what it wanted. Members working at PopSugar, The Dodo and Thrillist will be covered under this collective bargaining agreement. Those from Thrillist and The Dodo will also receive backpay from April 2024 and May 2024, respectively, per the 2024 Vox Media Union contract wage increases, the union said Friday. The Vox Media Union also includes the editorial staff at The Verge, Eater, Punch, SB Nation, and Vox Media Podcast Network. In a statement Friday, the negotiating committee said it is 'so proud to have fought and won this contract that betters the lives of all of our members.' In addition, the contract also secures protections against generative AI and use of digital replicas, as well as a newly designed layoff process that includes two weeks of paid non-working notice, plus a minimum of 12 weeks of severance. See more of the contract details below. Guaranteed general wage increases: Year 1: 5% for salaries under $106K, 4% for salaries over $106k; Years 2 & 3: 3.25% for salaries under $106K, 2.75% for salaries over $106k; A new salary floor of $70,000 for overtime exempt employees and $68,000 for overtime eligible employees; Protections from Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI): No layoffs solely from the use or implementation of GAI; Any GAI generated material will go through standard editorial review processes, and the use of any GAI generated material will include the public disclosure of use of such tools; Reasonable advance notice of actual implementation of any new tool or system that will meaningfully impact employees; Employees may decline to be credited on any content where GAI was used; Protections against use of digital replicas; A new layoff process that will involve two weeks of paid non-working notice, plus a minimum of 12 weeks of severance; Maintains unlimited PTO policy, with the encouragement to take at least 25 days off per year (up from 20 days); 12 bereavement/pregnancy loss days (up from 10) In addition to Vox Media, the WGA East also represents several other outlets via its Online Media Sector including the Bustle Digital Group, Civic News Group, CNET, Committee to Protect Journalists, Fast Company, Future PLC, Gizmodo Media Group, Hearst Magazines, HuffPost, Inc., Jewish Currents, NowThis, Onion Inc., Refinery29, Salon, Slate, Talking Points Media, The Dodo, The Intercept, Thrillist, and VICE. Deadline parent company Penske Media Corporation has a stake in Vox Media. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery 'The Buccaneers' Season 2 Soundtrack: From Griff To Sabrina Carpenter
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hollywood Studio Chiefs Weigh In On Trump Movie Tariff Proposal & Realities Of U.S. Production: 'If The Incentives Are Stronger…We'll Shoot Here'
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Talk of tariffs in Tinseltown continued Wednesday with several of the major Hollywood studio chiefs weighing in on Donald Trump's proposed solution to combatting runaway production. 'I think in terms of production leaving here, it's almost more to California issue, honestly, than a U.S. issue. So while it's true, so a lot of production has left the United States, it's even worse for California, and there are a lot of people, including our companies, that are working on this with the state government and trying to come up with different bills that will help,' Ravi Ahuja, President and CEO, Sony Pictures Entertainment, said during a Milken Institute Global Conference panel on the future of the entertainment industry on Wednesday. More from Deadline Ahuja was joined by HBO and Max Content Chief Casey Bloys, Head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios Mike Hopkins, Universal Studio Group boss Pearlena Igbokwe, and The Diplomat creator Debora Cahn. The group pretty unanimously agreed with Ahuja's assessment that California has been hit the hardest by the mass exodus of production to international territories in recent years, and it's unlikely that tariffs would help. Instead, they added to the chorus of voices across the entertainment industry insisting that more lucrative tax incentives would go much further to solve the problem. 'If the incentives are stronger in the United States, and they are in many states, we'll shoot here. I think what's often forgotten in our business is the margins are pretty modest,' Ahuja said. 'In any studio, there's something like 10%, so it's not a business that relies on an enormous well of profit. And producers will tend to locate in a place that's efficient. So the more we can make the U.S. efficient, the better.' Hopkins conceded that much of the talent pool is already in Southern California, which would make it a much more convenient destination for production if the economics made sense. As of now, they don't. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has already proposed more than doubling the state's current cap on its Film & TV Tax Credit Program to $750M annually. That proposal is expected to be approved this summer and would go a long way toward welcoming production back to the state. However, as union representatives and state lawmakers have also pointed out, increased funding alone won't solve the problem. The studio chiefs also discussed some of the limitations of the California program that have contributed to the state's production decline. Unlike other territories, California's tax incentive also operates as a jobs program that ties eligibility directly to the number of jobs a production will create and does not consider above-the-line wages to be qualified expenditures. Since there is a cap on the overall funding, California's program operates as a lottery. This differs from states like Georgia and international territories like Canada, where there is no cap on the incentives, effectively guaranteeing the tax credit to all qualified projects. Bloys and Hopkins pointed to the uncertainty the lottery system creates as another deterrent for the major studios. 'You have to get into a lottery, and you're not sure if your show is going to get the tax break or not. So that uncertainty makes it very difficult,' Bloys said. 'If California would address that, that would make a big difference, because the entertainment industry is based here, and there's a lot of infrastructure here, but the uncertainty around that incentive has been problematic to plan [for].' Hopkins says he'd also like California lawmakers to consider opening the door for above-the-line costs to be considered qualified expenditures. Some territories have been hesitant to include above-the-line costs costs in their incentive programs, because doing so raises tough questions for lawmakers. Do taxpayers really want to feel like they are funding Tom Cruise's salary? But, Hopkins argues 'it actually does drive the economy, because they're going to get their fee, no matter where they go.' Whatever the solution, the group also pushed back on the notion that all international production is negative. There are many instances where a production should be based abroad, regardless of financial incentives, they say. The ultimate worry is that a broadly applied tariff would make that unnecessarily difficult. 'We're going overseas because we have a show set in London, and we want castles and palaces, and we don't have enough of them here,' joked Cahn. 'I mean the facilities here and the talent pool here remains unmatched. We've had great experiences overseas, but you still don't get the kind of designers, crews, craftspeople that you do here, anywhere else. So this is always my first choice. But if you need Buckingham Palace, you gotta go over there.' While the solution remains unclear, no one disputes that runaway production has hurt the United States, particularly California. Production in Los Angeles is still down nearly 40% over five year averages. Two bills currently making their way through the state Legislature have been a beacon of hope for financially strained entertainment workers, but calls for federal intervention have also grown recently. The White House has already walked back Trump's initial claim that he would impose 100% tariffs on all films made outside the U.S., but the President has vowed to give more attention to the issue in hopes of finding a solution. More developments are expected sooner rather than later as Hollywood responds to Trump's interest. Notably, MPA board members, including top CEOs and other representatives, plan to meet Friday, with next steps expected to be a topic, sources said. The board includes representatives from Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Amazon, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. 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Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SAG-AFTRA's Duncan Crabtree-Ireland Says Union Open To 'Advancing A Dialogue' With White House On U.S. Film Production After Trump Tariff Proposal
SAG-AFTRA's Duncan Crabtree-Ireland is the first of the Hollywood labor leaders to speak out after President Donald Trump announced his plan to impose 100% tariffs on films made outside the U.S. — and he appears to be keeping an open mind on the matter. 'SAG-AFTRA supports efforts to increase movie, television and streaming production in the United States,' the National Executive Director of the actors' union said in a statement Monday morning. 'We will continue to advocate for policies that strengthen our competitive position, accelerate economic growth and create good middle class jobs for American workers.' He added: 'We look forward to learning more about the specifics of the plan announced by the President and to advancing a dialogue to achieve our common goals.' More from Deadline Donald Trump Indicates There Will Be A Meeting With Hollywood Reps Over Movie Tariff Proposal: "I'm Not Looking To Hurt The Industry" '60 Minutes' Continues Hard-Hitting Segments On Trump With Look At His Attacks On Law Firms; Guest Compares POTUS Actions To A Mob Boss Donald Trump, In Separate Posts, Lashes Out At Fox News Personalities Howard Kurtz And Karl Rove Trump's announcement on Sunday evening rattled the industry, as studios have come to depend on shooting pricey tentpoles in other countries including Canada, Australia and the UK. However, the White House was quick to walk back the bold assertion by Monday morning, claiming that 'no final decisions' have been made on whether to impose foreign film tariffs. The President told reporters Monday that he was planning to set meetings with entertainment industry representatives to discuss the matter, assuring: 'I'm not looking to hurt the industry. I want to help the industry.' Trump's announcement comes as reports began circulating around Tinseltown that Jon Voight, one of the President's appointed 'special ambassadors' to Hollywood, had been taking meetings around town with the intention of devising a plan to present to the President with a plan for boosting domestic production. Sources with knowledge of these conversations tell Deadline that they focused primarily on the idea of a federal tax credit that could work in tandem with state-led funding initiatives to compete with the enticing financial incentives offered abroad. Production workers and union representatives have been sounding the alarm on runaway production for some time. The issue has worsened in recent years as the industry experienced a global production contraction, which was greatly accelerated by years of shutdowns related to the coronavirus pandemic and 2023's dual strikes. Currently, California lawmakers are weighing proposed changes to the state's own Film & TV Tax Credit Program to up the cap from $330M annually to $750M and expand eligibility to include a broader range of projects, among other things. While Gov. Gavin Newsom has made the production exodus issue a top priority, he was also one of the first to openly oppose Trump's tariff proposal. Newsom's team tells Deadline that Trump 'has no authority to impose tariffs' on the film and television industry, setting the stage for a bit of a showdown over how to truly save Hollywood. Details on Trump's tariff proposal are murky, and there are many questions left unanswered, including what Trump actually means by a 100% tariff on movies produced in other nations and whether it will include television. What does seem clear is that, if Trump moves forward with the proposal, it's likely to be challenged in court. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery Brad Pitt's Apple 'F1' Movie: Everything We Know So Far Everything We Know About 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 So Far
