DGA President Gene Reynolds today announced that the Directors Guild membership has ratified a new three year collective bargaining agreement by the overwhelming margin of 2,949 to 112.
The new 1996 DGA Basic Agreement and Freelance Live and Tape Television Agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers will take effect on July 1 and expire on June 30, 1999.
"This vote is a tremendous endorsement of the strong leadership demonstrated by Negotiating Committee Chairpersons Jack Shea and John Rich, Creative Rights Committee Chairpersons Martha Coolidge and John Frankenheimer as well as the hard work done by all of the members of their respective committees." commented Reynolds.
Among the economic highlights of the new agreement are:
- Rate increases for all DGA categories.
- FOX residuals will increase by 51.25% over the term of the contract.
- Substantial rate increases for Directors of tape shows outside network primetime.
- Substantial rate increases for first Stage Managers on prime time dramatic shows.
- Substantial improvements in the Guild's ability to protect and collect residuals, by strengthening audit and security provisions.
- New, clear rules as to location employment.
- Strengthening the Third area Qualification List and Associate Director/Stage Manager Criteria for employment.
New Creative Rights provisions include:
- Creation of an historic Code of Preferred Practices detailing basic creative rights guidelines for directors.
- Right of directors to edit versions of their films for post-theatrical release.
- The establishment of an on-going Producer-DGA Committee to address industry issues, creative rights problems and the Preferred Practices Code.
"Fortunately, the 1996 DGA negotiations have given our industry a classic win-win result" commented DGA National Executive Director Jay D. Roth. "This is a very good deal for DGA members as is evident in the strong membership vote of approval, and the fact that we were able to get it done well before the June 30 expiration of the 1993 contract means that production can continue full speed ahead without the de facto production shutdown necessitated by the possibility of a DGA strike."
The Guild's Negotiation Committee met with the AMPTP through March and into early April before reaching a tentative agreement.
The Creative Rights Committee held a series of meetings with chief executives from the studios during January, February, March and April before reaching an agreement that they could recommend to the National Board on April 27, then the National Board in turn recommended ratification to the membership.
June 5 was the deadline for the return of mail ballots by DGA members.
