Cable TV Actors’ Residuals Raised

Actors who work on such cable television shows as “The Shield” and “Monk” will receive a 21% pay raise when episodes rerun, according to a new union contract announced Friday.

In March, the Screen Actors Guild announced a similar increase in residuals -- the system in which actors are paid for subsequent airings of their work -- for performers working on animated shows for basic cable television.

Residuals are paid on a sliding scale that decreases with each repeated airing.

Under the latest contract, residuals for the first rerun would increase to 17% from 12% of the performer’s minimum pay (currently $716 for a four-hour session), moving down to 1.5% of the minimum for the 13th showing and each subsequent run. Based on a typical run pattern of 25 repeats for a basic cable episode, that amounts to a 21% jump in residuals, the guild said.

The contract is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2006, and runs through June 30, 2008. It is the second reached under guild President Alan Rosenberg, who was elected last year on a promise of being tougher in negotiations with producers and studios.