The Directors Guild of America announced that its National Board of Directors has unanimously approved a tentative new national commercial contract to be presented to the membership for ratification.
“Our Commercial Negotiations Committee secured a strong contract that benefits our members in the commercial industry and supports their careers in the long term,” said DGA president Lesli Linka Glatter. “I’m confident our significant wage gains, paired with the first-ever AI protections for the commercial community and provisions nurturing diversity in our industry will drive continued industry growth and stability.”
This new agreement addresses a number of key issues important to Guild members, including the first commercial industry protections against the misuse of Artificial Intelligence, significant wage increases to help keep pace with the rising cost of living, increased pension and health benefits, improved staffing and prep guarantees for assistant directors, clarification on coverage for UPMs, and more funding for diversity programs.
The agreement was negotiated with the Association of Independent Commercial Producers, Inc. (AICP) for the term of December 1, 2023-November 30, 2026.
Highlights of the agreement cited by the Guild include:
- For the first time ever, there are protections around generative artificial intelligence (GAI) usage within the commercial industry. These are the same protections the DGA secured in the Basic Agreement earlier this year: specifically, all duties of directors, assistant directors, and unit production managers must be done by a person, and GAI does not constitute a person. Additionally, any GAI use must be disclosed to the director and is subject to their participation.
- Minimum rates of pay will increase by 6%, 4% and 4% over the contract term, for a compound increase of nearly 15%. Second assistant directors will receive an additional 5% percent bump in the first year of the agreement bringing their first-year increase to 11%.
- 19% increase to the contribution base upon which pension and health contributions are made for most non-principal directors from $10,500 to $12,500 by 2025. This will increase health and pension benefits for directors and help support our strong benefit plans.
- First ever mandatory prep and staffing for second assistant directors and second second assistant directors, respectively; mandatory coverage of a UPM when they are on the qualification list and perform UPM duties.
- A substantial increase to funding to support the Commercial Directors Diversity Program (CDDP), which offers expanded opportunities for learning and growth to a diverse group of rising commercial directors within the industry. As well as a new committee dedicated to the creation of an Assistant Director Training Program, with an emphasis on diversity.
- Ban on live ammunition usage on sets.
Negotiations with the AICP took place over several months of this year and were led by on the DGA side by associate national executive director/Eastern executive director Neil Dudich and a committee of experienced members who work in commercials.
“Our Negotiating Committee is extremely proud of what they achieved, and we hope our commercial members will be as well,” said Dudich. “There were extremely important issues that needed to be addressed in these negotiations and this new agreement will provide cornerstone protections for years to come.”
SHOOT reached out to AICP but the organization does not comment on contracts while the union is in its ratification process.
