DGA Weighs In on Strike: ‘Extremely Disappointed’ in AMPTP, ‘Strongly Supports’ Actors and Writers
The Directors Guild weighed in Thursday on SAG-AFTRA’s decision to strike, saying it was “extremely disappointed” in Hollywood’s studios and that it “strongly supports” the actors and writers, whose union has been on strike for three months.
“The Directors Guild of America is extremely disappointed that the AMPTP did not fairly and reasonably address the important issues raised by SAG-AFTRA in negotiations,” DGA president Lesli Linka Glatter said in a statement issued on Thursday, voicing the guild’s support of the actors who have chosen to strike along with the WGA.
“During this critical and difficult time for our industry, the Directors Guild strongly supports the actors who will be on strike beginning tomorrow. We are proud to stand with actors and writers in their fight to win agreements that address their unique and important concerns, just as they supported us in our negotiations. And together, we are all in a shared fight for a vibrant, sustainable industry that fairly values all of our unique contributions.”
At SAG-AFTRA’s Thursday press conference, guild president Fran Drescher and national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland accused the AMPTP of not taking its key demands seriously and not using all of the extra 12 days of negotiations the two sides agreed to on June 30 to reach a fair deal.
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The DGA reached a separate agreement with the AMPTP in June. At the time, Glatter said, “Our new contract secures gains on wages, global streaming residuals, safety, diversity and creative rights that build for the future and impact every category of member in our Guild.”
Among the sticking points for SAG-AFTRA, the AMPTP’s “groundbreaking” proposal for the use of AI, which would allow for perpetual use of a background actor’s performance for AI recreation and data sets in exchange for a single day’s pay.
“If you think this is a groundbreaking proposal, I suggest you think again,” Crabtree-Ireland said on Thursday.
