Hollywood directors approve new contract with studios

Members of the Directors Guild of America have voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new film and TV contract with the major Hollywood studios.

DGA Members approved the three-year agreement by an 87% margin, the union said Friday night.

The contract includes a 13% boost in wages over three years and a new payment linked to foreign subscribers of the largest streaming platforms. It also calls for restrictions on the use of AI and new safety measures on film sets.

“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,” DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter said in a statement.

“I also want to acknowledge that the DGA didn’t bargain in a vacuum,” Glatter added. “We stand united with writers, actors and all crew members in our shared fight to move our industry forward.”

Although union leaders had hailed the contract as “historic,” some members spoke out against it, saying it did not go far enough to improve pay and working conditions.

Writer and director Matthew Cherry said via Twitter that he voted no, adding that “there also needs to be more transparency on how films & movies are performing on these platforms so a real bonus structure can be put in place.”

Many expected the DGA deal to provide a blueprint for settling the writers’ strike, which began nearly two months ago, but leaders of the Writers Guild of America have stressed that they would not be bound by its terms.

Leaders with the actors guild, SAG-AFTRA, who are in the midst of negotiations with the studios, have echoed that view. SAG-AFTRA members have authorized the union to call a strike if no deal is reached when their contract expires June 30.

After less than a month of negotiations, the DGA reached a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which bargains on behalf of the major studios and streamers, on June 4.