New California Legislation Could Give Actors and Music Artists More Labor Protections

New legislation in California could give give actors and music artists more labor protections, The Los Angeles Times reports.

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), introduced the FAIR Act, which stands for "Free Artists from Industry Restrictions." The proposed law has been backed by SAG-AFTRA.

This law would limit the ability of production studios and record labels to hold artists off the job market, unpaid, for extended periods of time. This has become especially important these days since streaming has becoming such a large part of the entertainment industry.

"I knew that I signed on as an actor for a career that was feast or famine," said Jason George, a SAG-AFTRA board member who stars on ABC firefighter drama Station 19. "But I found myself in situations ... where I couldn't go out and look for work."

George said the studios' demands for exclusivity might have worked for actors three decades ago when there "were only three networks that kept you busy for nine months of the year." But now, this has caused financial stress for him, and many other actors.

The legislation could go into effect next year if it is enacted, and it would apply to existing contracts, affecting over 82,000 members of SAG-AFRTA and the Music Artists Coalition.

"This would be a game-changer for balancing out unfair restrictions that keep actors from working or earning a living for long periods of time," said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA's chief operating officer and general counsel. The union has tried to fight these contractual restrictions but has met stiff resistance. "It could really change the whole mindset of the industry."

Read more on The Los Angeles Times.