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The
Directors Guild of America (DGA) said 87% of those voting
supported the deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and
Television Producers (AMPTP), a group that represents Walt
Disney Co, Netflix Inc and other major studios.
The DGA represents 19,000 directors, assistant directors and
others who work on film and TV productions.
The 41% turnout level, with 6,728 members out of 16,321 eligible
voters casting ballots, exceeded any prior DGA ratification
vote, the union said on its website.
In the new labor pact, members secured base wage increases
starting at 5% the first year, an increase in residual payments
from streaming, and a guarantee that generative artificial
intelligence (AI) "cannot replace the duties performed by
members."
AI also has emerged as a major concern of writers and actors,
who see their jobs as especially vulnerable to the new
technology.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike since May
2, shutting down several TV and film projects such as a new
season of "Stranger Things" and a "Game of Thrones" spinoff.
There are no new contract talks scheduled between the WGA and
studios, whose dispute has largely centered on changes to show
business brought about by the streaming boom.
During the last WGA strike in 2007 and 2008, a studio deal with
the DGA prompted writers to head back to the bargaining table.
Striking writers have insisted that the directors' latest deal
will not influence their position this time.
Hollywood actors, meanwhile, are in the middle of their own
labor talks with studios. Members of the SAG-AFTRA actors union
have given their negotiators the power to call a strike if they
cannot agree on a new contract by June 30.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles;
Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
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