DGA Board Unanimously Approves New Film and TV Contracts, Now for Members -Holliwood

The National Board of the Directors Guild voted unanimously tonight to approve a tentative agreement for a new film and TV contract. The deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which was reached late Saturday, goes to the guild’s membership for ratification, with the board’s recommendation to vote “yes” this week.

Prominent members of the Guild’s board include Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, 2nd Vice President Ron Howard, and 5th Vice President Ava DuVernay.

The deal, on the 33rd day of the Writers Guild strike — and just four days before SAG-AFTRA contract talks begin tomorrow — includes significant wage increases, a 76% increase in foreign residuals for the largest streaming platform, and assurances that the deal will be held in the United States. Artificial intelligence cannot replace directors or their teams.

“We are ready to negotiate a contract that will be future ready. This is a significant deal with benefits for every director, assistant director, unit production manager, associate director and stage manager DGA President Leslie Linka Glatter. “Our industry is rapidly changing and expanding, and this agreement requires us to adapt to those changes, break new ground, and protect the DGA’s 19,000 directors and director team members today and in the years to come . Along with the rest of the DGA National Board, I am proud to enthusiastically recommend this tentative agreement to our members for ratification. Together, we will secure the future we deserve.”

Commenting on the growth of labor solidarity in the industry, he said that “Across the country, directors and their teams, writers, actors, crew and drivers have been unwavering in demanding a share in the success of the films and television shows we make.” have shown resolve. Together. We are all union members and deserve to be fairly compensated for our contributions. We do not bargain in a vacuum and the gains we have made in our tentative agreement are based on the strong support of our members And this would not have been possible without the unity, and solidarity, of our sister unions and unions. We continue to support the actors who are entering negotiations tomorrow and the writers who are on strike. We will continue to do our part for a vibrant, sustainable industry. Standing firmly with SAG-AFTRA and the WGA in the shared fight that we all rightfully deserve.

After the agreement was reached over the weekend, John Avnet, chair of the DGA’s negotiating committee, called it a “truly historic deal”, which included “advances on salary, residual streaming, security, creative rights and diversity, as well as securing essential safeguards”. “To our members on new key issues such as artificial intelligence – ensuring that DGA members will not be replaced by technological advances.”

Russell Hollander, the Guild’s national executive director and chief negotiator, said that “every member of our union can be proud of the gains we’ve achieved across the board. Remarkably, and for the first time ever, global SVOD residuals are paid to international customers. The result is a 76% increase in foreign residuals for the largest services. As our industry becomes increasingly global, these benefits serve to value our members and compensate them for their incredible work. essential to ensure.

According to the DGA, the new agreement includes the following:

The DGA says the agreement achieved studio transparency in residual reporting, improvements in diversity and inclusion, the addition of Juneteenth as a paid holiday, and many other benefits.

Formal talks between the 80-member negotiating committee of the DGA and the AMPTP began on 10 May. The guild is expected to release more details about the agreement on Wednesday.