Exciting news for the Directors Guild of America! A whopping 87% of members have voted in favor of a new film and television contract, with only 13% opposed. This is a break from tradition, as the guild usually only reports that contracts were ratified “overwhelmingly.” But this time, they’re proud to share the specific voting data.
DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter is thrilled with the outcome, stating that the new contract will allow every Director, Assistant Director, Unit Production Manager, Associate Director, and Stage Manager to share in the success of their creations. The contract secures gains on wages, global streaming residuals, safety, diversity, and creative rights that will impact every category of member in the guild.
It’s important to note that the DGA didn’t bargain in a vacuum. They stand united with writers, actors, and all crew members in their shared fight to move the industry forward. They support the actors who are in negotiations and the writers who remain on strike, and they will stand with the IATSE and Teamsters when they negotiate their agreement next year.
The DGA’s board, which includes industry heavyweights like Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, Ron Howard, and Ava DuVernay, unanimously recommended ratification of the new contract.
This agreement comes 33 days into the Writers Guild’s ongoing strike, which is now in its 53rd day. During the WGA’s last strike in 2007-08, the DGA reached an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on the 74th day of the strike, forcing the WGA to settle for similar terms 26 days later.
But the WGA has said that won’t happen again this time, and their bargaining positions “remain the same” regardless of the terms achieved by the DGA. Even so, the WGA congratulated the DGA’s negotiating committee on reaching a deal.
The DGA’s new agreement is being hailed as “truly historic,” with significant wage increases, a 76% increase in foreign residuals for the largest platforms, and curbs on the use of artificial intelligence in filmmaking. The agreement also achieved increased studio transparency in residuals reporting, improvements in diversity and inclusion, the addition of Juneteenth as a paid holiday, and “many other gains for all categories,” according to the DGA.
