Q: I've seen a few advertisements for SAG and Equity union work that say they pay "on scale." What does "scale" mean?

A: Back before actors and writers unionized, payment for work in the entertainment industry was dicey at best. Unless you were a recognizable, successful actor, there was no guarantee that you'd be paid fairly or consistently for your work on stage or screen. But a generation of determined artists put that system to rest, and now acting unions like SAG, AFTRA, and Equity are some of the strongest and most active in the United States.

The major benefit gained from unionizing came in the form of "scale payments." Scale is the minimal amount a union actor can get paid for a day or week's work. The scale payment also includes the 12% contribution the producer must make to the actor's pension and the union welfare fund. Another common term associated with this is "scale plus 10," with the 10 representing 10%. Because agents take a mandatory 10% out of their client's earnings, scale pay is actually less than the legal minimum, so producers have to make up that 10% to the actor. Scale plus 10 doesn't apply to commercials or industrials.

Here are a few current scale payments for different kinds of acting work:

• $759 a day/$2,634 a week for a principal actor in a full-budget feature film
• $504 a day/$1,752 a week for a principal actor in a low-budget feature film
• $1,200 a week for a principal actor in a Broadway play
• $1,028 for a principal actor in a half-hour sitcom
• $732 a day for a principal actor in a half-hour soap opera

Now that you know what a scale payment is you can get to work on earning your union card and qualify for scale yourself!

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