Producers May Mandate Film Crew Vaccinations Under Union Deal

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Studios, networks and entertainment industry unions reached a tentative agreement this week outlining workplace protocols for COVID-19.

The deal, which aims to streamline industry standards and worker protections, would allow producers the option of mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for cast and crew on a production-by-production basis. Mandatory coronavirus vaccinations are a hot-button issue largely untested in the courts because few private and public employers have instituted them. In Los Angeles, where about 4 million people remain unvaccinated, it could force workers in the entertainment industry to choose between vaccine hesitancy and a paycheck.

Some hospitals, universities and cities have required their workers and students to be vaccinated as a condition of employment and attendance. In the entertainment industry, onset outbreaks have halted some high-profile productions such as the season two filming of the Netflix hit "Bridgerton."

The agreement is between various entertainment industry unions, including the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Directors Guild of America and International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, and Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers, which represents the film studios and television networks.

The workplace safety modifications reflect vaccines and other scientific advances made in the last year. They center on workplace practices for fully vaccinated cast and crew members, including changes to outdoor masking requirements and updated mealtime protocols.

Additional changes, such as adjustments to testing frequency, are included for certain areas in the United States and Canada where COVID-19 incidence is, and remains, very low.

The agreement will remain in effect through Sept. 30. The parties will continue closely monitoring COVID-19 developments and consider further modifications at that time.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.