The Directors Guild of America has voted on a tentative deal that would avoid taking strike action.
Variety reports that the DGA arrived at a tentative three-year labour deal with the Hollywood studios and streamers after what the outlet describes as “a bruising skirmish.”
In a statement, the DGA’s negotiating committee lauded the deal reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers as “a historic new three-year collective bargaining agreement.” The deal will be put to a vote on Tuesday.
READ MORE: Writers Strike Looks To Be A Long Fight, As Hollywood Braces
“We have concluded a truly historic deal,” said Jon Avnet, chair of the DGA’s negotiations committee. “It provides significant improvements for every director, assistant director, unit production manager, associate director and stage manager in our guild. In these negotiations we made advances on wages, streaming residuals, safety, creative rights and diversity, as well as securing essential protections for our members on new key issues like artificial intelligence — ensuring DGA members will not be replaced by technological advances.”
“This deal recognizes the future of our industry is global and respects the unique and essential role of directors and their teams as we move into that future,” added DGA president Lesli Linka Glatter.
According to Variety, highlights of the deal include increases in wages and benefits, an increase in worldwide streaming residuals (and more transparency in how those residuals are calculated), and an agreement that directors won’t be replaced by AI.
In the meantime, the Writers Guild of America is continuing the strike action that began May 1. With no signs that an agreement will be reached, the WGA strike has already led numerous film and television productions to shut down, and will likely crater the networks’ fall television schedule.
Up next, SAG-AFTRA — the union that represents actors — will come to the end of its contract on June 30, and may follow the WGA’s lead by voting to strike.
In a statement on the organization’s website, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher expressed solidarity with writers.
“As I wrote to you last week, and have said many times, union solidarity is crucial. Unions gain strength by supporting each other and the WGA fight is a righteous one,” the “Nanny” star wrote.
“We are united in support of the WGA and I thank all of the SAG-AFTRA members who are showing solidarity with their strike,” she continued, adding, “As a member of the WGA, I can say firsthand the contributions made by writers cannot be undermined, diminished or cheapened. I’ve said it a thousand times, ‘If it ain’t on the page, it ain’t on the stage!'”
SAG-AFTRA’s negotiations begin June 7.
