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Crisis in Hollywood: directors reach historic agreement to avoid strike

Eighty-seven percent of the union approved the deal with production companies. The agreement, which regulates the use of AI, will last for three years.

Fachada del edificio de la Directors Guild of America. El sindicato pactó el 23 de junio de 2023 un nuevo acuerdo con las grandes productoras de Hollywood.

(Wikimedia Commons).

Published by
Rosana Rábago Sainz

The crisis in Hollywood now has one less problem: the directors. The Directors Guild of America (DGA) signed an agreement late this week with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) that will prevent the union from going on strike. It was union President Lesli Linka Glatter who announced the historic agreement:

I’m proud to report that DGA members have joined together to ratify a new contract that will allow every Director, Assistant Director, Unit Production Manager, Associate Director and Stage Manager to share in the success of what we create. Our new contract secures gains on wages, global streaming residuals, safety, diversity and creative rights that build for the future and impact every category of member in our Guild.

The agreement, approved by 87% of the DGA, includes a 13% increase in the salaries received by directors over the next three years. In addition, it regulates for the first time the residual income they receive from streaming platforms. From now on, these will be calculated based on the number of international subscribers. Not only that, the new agreement guarantees that the work performed by the directors can, under no circumstances, be taken over by artificial intelligence and also prohibits the use of live ammunition on American film sets.

The contract will take effect July 1, 2023, and will run through June 30, 2026, when both the Directors Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers must renegotiate a new agreement.

An sign to come for the rest of Hollywood?

The agreement comes in the midst of a crisis in the world's movie mecca. Eight weeks ago, screenwriters began a work stoppage that is affecting the entire industry. It may worsen in the next week if actors make good on their threat and join the strike, further hurting Hollywood, which has seen events like San Diego Comic-Con and the Tony Awards be adversely affected.

Glatter assured that the agreement between the DGA and the AMPTP did not mean that the union would not support both screenwriters and actors in their struggle:

I also want to acknowledge that the DGA didn’t bargain in a vacuum. We stand united with writers, actors and all crew members in our shared fight to move our industry forward. We support the actors who are in negotiations and the writers who remain on strike, and we will stand with the IA (International Alliance of Stage Employees) and Teamsters when they negotiate their agreement next year. We won’t be satisfied until we all have fair contracts that reward us for our creative work — we must create a vibrant, sustainable industry that fairly values us all.
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