Actors' Equity Ratifies LORT Agreement with Focus on Salary, Health

Actors' Equity Association announced today that members have voted to ratify a new, historic five-year contract with the League of Resident Theaters (LORT) for actors and stage managers.

The vote marks the final step in the ratification process. Key provisions of the agreement include substantial salary increases ranging from 16 percent to 81.7 percent over the life of the contract. With the ratification approved, members who worked at minimum on a LORT contract since Feb. 13 will now receive raises retroactive to Feb. 13, 2017, when the original LORT agreement expired.

The agreement increases the number of contracts for principal and chorus actors, as well as for stage managers. It also improves pay for stage managers during tech week and raises the increments for dance captains and fight captains. Preventive physical therapy will be required on shows longer than eight weeks that involve significant choreography or work on an inclined playing surface. Additionally, the agreement will expand employer contributions to the Equity Health Fund by $1.7 million.

"The strongest LORT contract we negotiated in more than a decade also got a strong majority vote of approval from our members," said Mary McColl, Lead Negotiator and Executive Director of Actors' Equity. "I'm proud to say that this contract delivers immediate wage increases to Equity Members and creates more work opportunities for Equity principal actors, members of the chorus and stage managers."

More than 90 percent of members who voted supported the contract. Voting officially concluded late Friday. Equity announced it had reached a tentative agreement with LORT June 12.

LORT is the second-largest employer of Equity members after the Production Contract and the largest not-for-profit employer. This groundbreaking agreement comes after two rounds of negotiation in February and May. The tentative agreement was unanimously recommended for approval by Equity's Negotiating Committee and overwhelmingly recommended by Equity's National Council.

The LORT agreement marks the third major contract negotiated by Equity in recent years. In 2016, Equity reached a five-year agreement with the Off-Broadway League that reunitEd Smaller Off-Broadway theaters, previously known as ANTC, with the commercial and not-for-profit theaters represented by the Off-Broadway League. In 2015, Equity reached a four-year agreement with the Broadway League, an agreement that included wage increases in each year of the contract.

Equity thanks Federal Mediators JavieR Ramirez and David Thaler for their assistance in helping the parties to bridge their differences in reaching this agreement.

ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION, founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers. Equity endeavors to advance the careers of its Members by negotiating wages, working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits (health and pension included). Member: AFL-CIO, FIA. #EquityWorks.