The Union des artistes, which represents Quebec’s performers, has reached a two-year collective agreement with a group of marketing and ad agency associations for how its members will be paid and represented in new media and online projects.
The agreement is the result of two years of arbitration with the Joint Producers Association (JPA), which represents the Association of Creative Communications Agencies, the Association of Canadian Advertisers and the Institute of Communication Agencies. However, discussions around such an agreement — separate from the JPA’s deal for television and radio ads — first began in 2009.
The new deal distinguishes between production rates and usage fees for commercials, takes into account an audience’s size, location and language when determining those rates, and makes it possible for online work to be “moved” to television by paying performers’ television rates.
It also acknowledges a 2013 arbitrator’s ruling that said commercial productions were free to hire non-union performers and “real people” for ads.
“The agreement is well-adapted for new marketing communications platforms and, importantly, it guarantees fair pay in line with the size of the audience reached while respecting the work of the artists involved,” says Paul Hétu, the ACA’s vice-president for Quebec.
The new collective agreement goes into effect April 1.
The JPA and Union des artistes are currently negotiating the renewal of terms for their television and radio agreement, which expired in August 2015.
