Labor unions representing thousands of film and television directors reached a tentative agreement early Sunday morning on a three-year deal with Hollywood studios. The deal guarantees labor peace with a major guild as the writers’ strike enters its sixth week.
In a statement that night, the Director’s Guild of America announced “unprecedented gains,” including improvements in wages, streaming balances (a type of royalty), and guardrails around artificial intelligence.
“We have entered into a truly historic deal,” DGA negotiating chair Jon Avnet said in a statement. “This will bring significant improvements to all Directors, Assistant Directors, Unit Production Managers, Associate Directors and Stage Managers within the Guild.”
The deal prevents Hollywood’s apocalyptic scenario of all three major unions going on strike at the same time. On Wednesday, the Alliance of Film and Television Producers, which negotiates on behalf of studios, will begin negotiations for a new contract with SAG-AFTRA, the guild representing actors. The current agreement expires on June 30th. SAG-AFTRA is in the process of collecting strike approval votes.
The entertainment industry will be watching what directors’ deals — and actors’ negotiations — mean for the Writers Guild of America, the union that represents writers. More than 11,000 writers went on strike in early May, and many Hollywood productions were canceled.
Last month, the writers were enjoying a wave of unity from other unions that WGA leaders said they hadn’t seen in generations before. Whether the contracts of the directors, or possibly the actors, could be finalized later this month, but whether that bond would be jeopardized is currently an open question.
WGA leaders told writers late last week that a deal with directors may be on the horizon, suggesting the studio’s “strategy” for “divide and conquer”. Some, WGA leaders said. The writers and studio walked away from the negotiating table on May 1 on major issues, and talks have not resumed.
“They pretended they couldn’t negotiate with the WGA in May to negotiate with the DGA,” the WGA negotiating committee told writers in an email on Thursday. “That’s a lie. This is a choice they made in hopes of bringing their divide-and-conquer strategy to life. The essence of this strategy is to make a pact with some unions and have it all for the rest.” This is gaslighting, and it only works when unions are divided.
“Our position is clear: To resolve the strike, businesses must negotiate with the WGA on our entire agenda,” the email continued.
Representatives for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers did not respond to a request for comment.
Writers and directors shared several priorities, including concerns over wages, streaming residuals, and artificial intelligence. WGA leaders said the studio offered only an “annual meeting to discuss” artificial intelligence and refused to negotiate beyond the guardrail. The DGA announced on Sunday that it had received a “groundbreaking agreement confirming that AI is not human and that generative AI cannot replace the duties of its members.”
However, some of the screenwriter’s demands are more complex than those of the director. WGA leaders expressed the controversy in urgent terms, calling the moment “real” and stating that studios “seem to continue their efforts to destroy the writing profession.”
Despite an explosion in television production over the past decade, writers say wages have stagnated and working conditions are deteriorating. In addition to improved remuneration, writers are seeking greater job security and minimal staffing in the writer’s office.
The WGA vowed to keep fighting. Writers who last went on a 100-day strike 15 years ago have historically come together.
“We are protected by alliances with sister guilds and unions,” WGA Negotiating Committee Chairman Chris Kaiser said in a video message to writers last week. “They give us power. .”
