SAG-AFTRA Holiday and Weekend Pay: How it Works

For SAG-AFTRA members, the life of a performer often means working weekends or even stepping away from cherished holidays to bring a commercial production to life. Thankfully, these moments are recognized with additional compensation for members within SAG-AFTRA to ensure they are fairly rewarded for their time working during these special times. 

For producers, understanding these increased SAG-AFTRA holiday and weekend pay is crucial for effective production budget planning. Interestingly, there may also be opportunities to waive or negotiate these added costs, depending on the scope of your project. 

In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at how SAG-AFTRA’s Commercials Contract handles weekend and holiday pay for talent and explain how certain commercial projects may qualify for eligible waivers. Gaining a clear understanding of how weekend and holiday pay for union talent is essential for producers looking to manage their contracts effectively for their next commercial project. 

Overview of SAG-AFTRA Commercial Agreement

SAG-AFTRA has several agreements to better represent fair working conditions for their union members depending on the type of project they are working on. The SAG-AFTRA’s Commercial Contract is in lengthy detail that outlines pay rates, terms and conditions producers must comply with to continue working with top tier talent. 

SAG-AFTRA recognizes union members working on weekends or special holidays as added costs producers must accommodate to work with talent to ensure fair compensation.

SAG-AFTRA’s Holiday Pay Under the Commercial Contract 

Before diving into the specific pay rates for holidays under the SAG-AFTRA Commercials Contract, we will first start with a list of the recognized holidays that require additional compensation: 

• New Year’s Day 

• Christmas Day

• Martin Luther King Jr. Day

• Memorial Day

• Independence Day

• Presidents’ Day

• Good Friday

• Labor Day

• Thanksgiving Day 

• The Day After Thanksgiving Day

• Veterans Day

If you're planning to film your commercial upon one of these special holidays, be prepared: performers are compensated at double the regular pay rate for their time under the SAG-AFTRA Commercials Contract.

Typically, an on-camera performer (OCP) session fee earns $783.00 per day or $98.00 per hour on a weekday. On a holiday, that same performer would earn $1,568.00 for the day or $196.00 per hour, reflecting the double pay rate. 

If travel is required during the holidays, performers are entitled to time and a half to acknowledge their disruption to their personal time. 

Understanding these rates is critical for producers, allowing you to plan your budget accurately and ensure fair compensation for talent when working on significant dates. 

Weekend Pay Under the SAG-AFTRA Commercial Contract

Union talent working on weekends is entitled to additional compensation, acknowledging the unique disruption to their personal time. Therefore, weekend rates are paid also at double the regular pay rate. 

For instance, the standard rate for an OCP working an 8-hour shift being $783.00 per day (or $98.00 per hour) would increase to double on weekends. This means an 8 hour shift would increase to $1,568.00 for the day, or $196.00 per hour. 

But it doesn’t stop there. If weekend work extends into night hours, principal performers receive an additional 10% premium for their time.

These compensation structures ensure that performers are fairly rewarded for working during hours that would typically be reserved for personal time. These terms are outlined within the SAG-AFTRA Commercials Contract and are critical for producers and advertisers to comply with their terms to avoid union claims.  

Pay Under SAG-AFTRA’s Commercial Contract For OCP
Regular Day Pay	Holiday Day Pay (2x)	Weekend Pay (2X)
$783.00 per day	$1,568.00 per day (+time and a half if travel is required)	$1,568.00 per day (+10% premium if overtime is required)
$98.00 per hour	$196.00 per hour +time and a half if travel is required)	$196.00 per hour (+10% premium if overtime is required)

Cost Saving Waiver to Offer Flexibility for Producers

SAG-AFTRA recognizes the unique challenges each commercial faces during production through certain waivers that offers producers flexibility that can possibly help producers cut costs and stay on schedule. 

SAG-AFTRA offers the Nights and Weekend Waiver that applies when production schedules are only available on weekends or night hours. This waiver helps producers avoid additional premium fees. 

SAG-AFTRA Union Grievances and Penalty Fees

When scheduling performers for weekend or holiday work, producers must be mindful of the rules and regulations outlined under the SAG-AFTRA Commercials Contract. Adhering to these guidelines is crucial to avoid potential union grievances throughout the production process. Below we will list several types of grievances to be wary of while working during these special dates. 

1. Working hours and conditions

Excessive working hours, insufficient breaks and violating SAG-AFTRA holiday pay are key concerns to address when scheduling performers for weekend or holiday work. If your production requires performers to work during these periods, you must compensate them according to the contract terms outlined within the SAG-AFTRA Commercials contract. Failure to comply can subject your production to a grievance. 

Penalty: Paying overtime or double time wages, and fines for violating labor laws. 

2. Wage disputes

Non-payment, late payments, or underpayment of wages are serious issues that producers must avoid. It is essential for producers to ensure their performers are paid promptly and in full according to their agreed-upon rates in the contract. 

Penalty: Payment back of wages owed, potentially with interest, and additional fines. 

3. Late payments

Delays in paying union talent as per the agreed timelines can create significant issues for a production. 

Penalty: The standard pay rate per day, usually capping at around 30 days. There can be additional fees for prolonged non-payments.

4. Ignoring contract termination clauses

Terminating union talent contracts without adhering to stipulated terms such as proper notice periods and severance, can lead to significant complications. For instance, canceling a shoot last-minute, especially on weekends or holidays, without providing the required advanced notice, can be considered a breach of contract. 

Penalty: Financial compensation to the affected union performer, plus potential legal fees and fines. 

Conclusion: Ensure Compliance: Working with SAG-AFTRA Talent on Holiday and Weekend Pay

In conclusion, it is essential for producers to fully understand how compensation for SAG-AFTRA members is adjusted when working on weekends or on special holidays in order to maintain control over their production budget. Producers should consider the scope of their work involved during those dates and determine any additional fees that may apply to maintain a smooth and efficient production process. 

Need help getting estimates? 

CMS Productions is a third-party union signatory to the SAG-AFTRA Commercials, Corporate, Educational / Industrial & Interactive Media contracts with an expert team on those contracts to properly estimate and budget hiring union performers for your upcoming commercial. 

CMS Productions is happy to assist you hire the best union performers for your next commercial project. Contact us today to set up a consultation.

 FAQ’s

• What is the pay rate for SAG-AFTRA performers working on holidays?

  SAG-AFTRA performers working on a holiday are paid double their regular pay rate. 

• What happens if weekend work extends into night hours? 

  If weekend work extends into the night, principal performers receive an additional 10% premium on their pay. 

• What if the holiday falls on a weekend? 

  SAG-AFTRA performers working on a holiday that lands on a weekend are paid double their regular pay rate.