Every Guild member in every category shall immediately report to the Guild the conditions of his or her employment, each change in rate of pay, classification of duties, commencement of employment, termination of employment or leave of absence from employment, in detail, along with the title of last assignment completed or assignment being started. One Guild member of a crew may call in for all Guild members, but the responsibility remains with each member to see that this is done. Delivery of a deal memorandum to the Guild prior to start of employment will also satisfy the call in requirement. DGA Constitution and By-Laws: Article III, Section H, Paragraph 7

For almost 70 years, the DGA has fought to uphold the collective bargaining agreements that protect the compensation, health benefits, and creative rights of directors and directorial team members who are members of the Guild. Along with the hard won rights and privileges that come with DGA membership also come responsibilities on the part of Guild members.

One of the most important is the long-standing rule that Guild members must only work for producers who are signatories of the collectively bargained agreements. Failure to do so can endanger everything a DGA member is contractually obligated to receive. This can include consequences as dire as loss of salary, loss of Pension and Health benefits and loss of residuals. In addition, DGA members who take these assignments can find themselves subject to disciplinary charges—including fines and other penalties for violating the DGA Constitution and Bylaws.

No Guild member shall accept employment from an employer who is not a signatory to a Basic Agreement or a substitute agreement with the Guild. DGA Constitution and By-Laws: Article IX, Section B, Paragraph 5

To protect members from facing these consequences, the DGA created the Signatories/Reports Compliance Department to keep track of all the information and paperwork required and to guide members through their work reporting requirements. The Signatories Department is responsible for legally binding the producers to the negotiated agreements by gathering the appropriate documents to verify wages and working conditions. In addition, the Signatories department makes certain the Guild has appropriate and adequate financial assurances in the form of security agreements, liens, and distributor's assumption agreements. This ensures the DGA has the legal means to collect payments due to the members and protect their benefits. But in order for the Signatories Department to do its job, DGA members need to call the Work Report Line immediately upon starting new employment.

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Even if you are working on a "studio" project, you should still report the work. Studios often create new production companies to cover a specific project and do not themselves serve as signatory.

Unfortunately, there are producers and companies who make every attempt to circumvent the industry's guilds and unions. The Signatories Department works to keep track of unscrupulous producers and will investigate and verify every new company to assure proper financing and securities are in place to protect our members' interests throughout the life of a project, including salary, Pension and Health, and residuals.

It is difficult for a member to know whether a company is or is not a signatory. Some companies that were signatories on their last project change their status by forming new entities. To ensure that members are not caught unprotected, all that is required is to make one short call to the DGA Work Report Hot Line.

The simple reason members are asked to report their work immediately is to ensure that their work gets to be covered at all. Many producers create new corporate entities to cover a specific project, and the Guild's Signatories Department must go to great lengths to verify that the company is actually the right entity to be responsible for employing Guild members, and provides the appropriate financial assurances. This can be a complicated process, even for companies which are cooperative, and not all companies are. The DGA Signatories Department shepherds companies through this process efficiently and thoroughly—but much more effectively if done before the cameras start shooting. This is helped greatly when members call before the work begins.

The DGA-Producer Pension and Health Plans will not accept contributions from non-signatory companies.

In addition, companies sometimes tell members they "plan" on becoming a DGA signatory, but somehow neglect to do so. The Signatories Department spends countless hours tracking projects members failed to report, then trying to get the company to become signatory "after-the fact." In some cases, these companies may no longer exist, making it impossible to collect contributions or residuals, and putting the members in jeopardy of disciplinary action. Calling in work early gives the DGA the ammunition needed to ensure that these companies really do follow through.

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Any member failing to report as provided in this Constitution and Bylaws may be disciplined by the appropriate regional council according to Articles X and XV. DGA Constitution and By-Laws: Article III, Section H, Paragraph 8

To make it simple for DGA members to report their job assignments, the Guild provides automated Work Report Hotlines that are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To report a job assignment, a member simply needs to call one of the regional DGA Work Report Numbers and follow the recorded prompts to provide the Guild with the following information: your name and DGA number, your category, the title of the project and name and phone number of the production company, and the names of any fellow DGA members working on the project. No forms to fill out. No faxing, emailing or mailing required.

As we have stated before, the best time to report a new work assignment is immediately upon accepting employment. By making that simple call, members avoid the risk of losing eligibility for DGA-mandated benefits, residuals and pension and health protection. And member calls help us keep production companies honest and more likely to ensure they are signed signatories before offering work to DGA members in the future.

So make the call — and we'll take it from there.

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