DGA contract negotiations won’t begin early this year – The Hollywood Reporter

The Directors Association of America will change its typical way of acting when it comes to contract negotiations this year.

Instead of earlier in the year as in the past, the organization will not begin negotiations before the contract expires this June until “later this spring”.

“Our approach to bargaining has always been and always has been guided by a simple principle: We will only negotiate when we believe we will get the best deal possible,” Jon Avnet, Karen Gaviola , Todd Holland and Russ Hollander of the DGA wrote in a letter to members on Saturday.

The letter continued, “In other cycles of negotiations, we have benefited greatly by waiting for negotiations until a later stage in the process. Some of our most important benefits, including the establishment of our groundbreaking pay TV balance formula, were won as we approached contract expiration.”

They explained that the date they started negotiating was not important. Instead, it’s important that studios decide to address the concerns of DGA members, including wages, streaming balances, safety, creative rights, and diversity. If the studios don’t solve the problem, “they know we’re ready to fight.”

The DGA and the studios are partners, Avnet, Gaviola, Holland and Hollander explained, and that means members of the DGA must be treated fairly and with respect.

The organization wants a new contract that “recognizes and rewards our important contributions to the industry no matter how it develops,” the letter reads, “that reinforces our shared interest in me in building a healthy, vibrant, stable business that will entertain and inspire audiences around the world.”

This year’s DGA negotiation cycle is not just about negotiating a sustainable contract for the next three years. They conclude, “They are shaping the future of our industry,” and that is what we will achieve.