Where a Brown M&M Is More Than a Snack

When the band Van Halen was on a concert tour, they never knew if a hall or arena could safely accommodate their complex wiring and heavy equipment. They worried about an inadequate electrical set-up or even a collapsed floor. Yes, their contract explained all they needed. But they never knew if anyone read it. So, they inserted an M&Ms clause. If the brown M&Ms were missing, then management probably was aware of their safety details.

This is the tiny section that had huge significance in a Van Halen 1982 World Tour contract:

Like the M&Ms clause, sometimes labor negotiates for more than money.

Contractual Surprises

In addition to their salary, actors care about the credits that accompany a film. 99% Invisible told us that Bette Midler and Shelly Long battled about whose name would be top billed for the 1987 comedy, Outrageous Fortune. The solution was two cuts, one for the East Coast where Midler would be at the top and the other, in the West, with Long leading the credits.

Placing a name at the top is about much more than a sequence. Described in detail at the Art of the Title, screen credits have more ingredients than we could ever imagine. At first, the title sequence pulls you into the story. But then, at the same time, the title designer has a “vessel of information” to share. Some actors require that they are named in the same size and type as other leads. However, the leads could say their font had to be the same size as the director. And the Director’s Guild mandates their members’ names be no less than 50% of the title’s size. Finally, it is also possible that a name gets attention just by being separate. We’ve always seen “Featuring” or just “and with.” Or the name could be last, but it is alone.

So yes, the cost of a contract need not be cash.

Our Bottom Line: How We Pay Ourselves

Referring to the 2023 UAW deal, the Chicago Fed said negotiations could focus on five areas:

• Wages and compensation
• Schedules
• Work rules
• Work assignments
• Grievance and arbitration

There are other possibilities but both sides need to agree to discuss them. They include political action funds, unionization of new workers, and use of the union label.

Where are we?

Returning to brown M&Ms and top billing, we can look at the cost of a contract. Defined by economists as what we sacrifice, a contract’s cost need not involve money.

My sources and more: As a regular 99% Invisible listener, I wanted to share their top billing podcast. Then, for the UAW contract, my sources were WSJ and the Chicago Fed.

Please note today’s M&Ms paragraph was in a past econlife post.