What does Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) mean?
Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is a legally binding contract negotiated between a union and an employer — or group of employers — that establishes the terms and conditions of employment for union members. In the entertainment industry, CBAs set the minimum pay rates, working hours, overtime rules, rest periods, residual structures, and safety standards that productions must follow when hiring union actors and crew. SAG-AFTRA, the Directors Guild of America (DGA), and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) each maintain their own CBAs with studios and production companies.
Example:When a production company hired a SAG-AFTRA actor for a television commercial, the Collective Bargaining Agreement between SAG-AFTRA and the AICP determined the session fee, usage rates, and overtime pay that applied to the shoot.
Example: A parent whose child was booked on a union TV show asked her agent which CBA governed the production — understanding whether it fell under the SAG-AFTRA Television Agreement or a modified low-budget agreement affected the residual rates her child would eventually receive.
Did you know?
The 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes were fundamentally about updating their Collective Bargaining Agreements to address AI and streaming residuals — issues the existing CBAs had not anticipated when originally negotiated.
You can also find “Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)” and related terms in this category: Administrative and Financial.
