This year’s major labor negotiations concluded with little drama or fanfare, with the Directors Guild of America reaching tentative four-year deals with major studios.
The DGA did not disclose the terms of the agreement, which still needs to be approved by the union’s board of directors and sent to members for ratification.
“In accordance with the Guild’s long-standing practice, the terms of the agreement will not be made public until the national board review is complete,” the union said in a statement.
The Motion Picture and Television Producers Alliance has now reached four-year agreements with all three major top guilds. SAG-AFTRA members voted to ratify the deal last week, and the Writers Guild of America approved the four-year deal in April.
“AMPTP is pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with DGA,” the studio group said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard work and dedication of our guild partners to achieve a fair deal that promotes the stable success of the entertainment industry.”
Negotiations had been underway since May 11, and the current contract was scheduled to expire on June 30.
Following the devastating strike of 2023, AMPTP entered this year’s negotiations with the goal of securing peace for workers for a longer period of time. Contracts with major unions have been for three years since the 1980s, but AMPTP had originally hoped for a maximum of five years.
Once the WGA agreed to a four-year term, the pattern for negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the DGA was set.
Like the WGA, the main focus of the DGA talks was the health fund, which lost $38.8 million in 2024 and $4.6 million in 2023. WGA agreed to higher premiums and out-of-pocket limits in exchange for a $321 million cash injection, and DGA’s agreement was expected to include similar increases in employer contributions and reductions in benefits.
Like other guilds, the DGA is interested in increasing the protection of artificial intelligence. The union also called for measures to secure more jobs for DGA members.
