The National Council of the DGA approved the new agreement with AMPTP

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike is still ongoing, and potential actors’ strikes are looming, the Directors Guild of America (DGA) announced on Tuesday (June 6), the National Council of the DGA unanimously approved and recommends for ratification the new three-year collective agreement concluded with the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

The National Council of the DGA votes on the new contract with AMPTP

The president of the DGA, Lesli Linka Glatter, announced the news at the special meeting of the guild on Tuesday. In a statement, President Glatter said the guild needed the new agreement to adapt to the “rapidly changing and expanding” entertainment industry, adding that the new contract would break “new ground” and protect the organization’s 19,000 directors and members of its directorship team. DGA members include such esteemed directors as Christopher Nolan (“The Dark Knight,” “Oppenheimer”) and Steven Spielberg (“West Side Story,” “Schindler’s List”).

President Glatter stated, “Along with the other members of the DGA National Board, I am proud to enthusiastically recommend this preliminary agreement to our members for ratification. Together we will ensure the future we deserve.”

According to a DGA press release, the interim agreement with AMPTP offers “significant improvements” for all members “across all categories,” including major advances in wages, global streaming residuals, security, diversity and creative rights. In addition, the contract includes minimum terms in two new areas, non-dramatic programming for Streaming Video On Demand (SVOD) and high-budget advertising-based Video On Demand (AVOD).

The new agreement also includes new provisions confirming that generative artificial intelligence, which has recently become a hot topic in the industry, cannot replace the duties of DGA members. Generative artificial intelligence is also a major point of contention for the WGA, which is currently on strike against AMPTP, and the Screen Actors Guild-SAG-AFTRA, which is expected to begin negotiations with AMPTP today. seven.

President Glatter also expressed the guild’s unity and support for the continued efforts of SAG-AFTRA and the WGA, noting that they “stand firm” with them in their “joint fight for a vibrant, sustainable industry that values ​​us all fairly.” The next step is for DGA members to vote to ratify the new agreement. The ballot and ratification materials will be sent to active members this week. The current DGA contract with AMPTP expires on June 30.

As previously reported by The Blast, SAG-AFTRA members voted overwhelmingly to authorize the strike. This allows the union’s National Council to authorize a work stoppage if no new agreement is reached by the upcoming June 30 deadline. After that, SAG-AFTRA could begin a work stoppage as early as July 1 and join the WGA on strike. the AMPTP. This could shut down all active film and television production — depending on the current phase of production — in the industry if a new agreement is not reached by SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP by June 30.

The WGA began a strike against the AMPTP on May 2 and is ongoing. Several major productions have already stopped or are on hold until the strike issues are resolved.