February 11, 2021
Today the DGA and other arts, entertainment, and media unions affiliated with the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) announced their joint diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy agenda during a digital press conference with union leaders, staff, and members. The DEI policy agenda details the legislative action the unions will urge members of Congress to support to help make their industries more representative.
“The collective action of all our unions here today gives me hope that further change is on the horizon,” said DGA National Board Member Karen Gaviola.
“This agenda is critical to our continued work, individually and collectively, to improve diversity, equity and inclusion in the industry,” said DGA National Executive Director Russell Hollander.
The DEI policy agenda seeks to support middle class careers, through passing legislation like the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, the AM-FM Act, and reforming Section 512 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The policy agenda also centers on increasing funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and Corporation for Public Broadcasting to support the opportunities needed to create wide and diverse talent pipelines. With states like Illinois, New Jersey, and New York leading the way on enacting tax incentives to encourage diverse hiring, the policy agenda lifts up these states as examples to create federal tax incentives that will spur more inclusive hiring in film, television, and live entertainment.
The unions putting forth this DEI policy agenda include:
- Actors’ Equity Association
- American Federation of Musicians
- American Guild of Musical Artists
- American Guild of Variety Artists
- Directors Guild of America
- Guild of Italian American Actors
- International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
- Office and Professional Employees International Union
- Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
- Stage Directors and Choreographers Society
- Writers Guild of America, East