Higher Pay Coming to DGA News, Sports and Operations Members

The Directors Guild of America has reached a tentative agreement with television networks ABC, CBS and NeBC for wage and other increases for news, sports and operations employees.

The DGA National Board of Directors voted unanimously over the weekend to send the new agreement to members for ratification, the labor union said on Tuesday.

The three-year contract covers staff and freelancers who work for the aforementioned television networks and at a number of their locally-owned affiliate stations.

Also Read: 5 Reasons Why Video Game Actors Have Gone on Strike

The “Network Agreement — which covers wage, pension and other gains — is separate from the union’s “Basic Agreement,” which is also negotiated every three years.

The new terms include the following:

-Wages and fees will increase by 2 percent in the first year of the contract, and 2.5 percent in both the second and third years for a compounded wage increase of 7.2 percent over the full three-year term of the contract.
-Increased employer contribution to the DGA-Producer Pension Plan by 0.5 percent, to a total of 6 percent. In the second and third years of the contract, the DGA will also have the right to divert 0.5 percent of the negotiated wage increase to either the DGA pension or health plan.
-Provisions to address opportunities for DGA members to work on new media projects and assignments.
-Provisions to address various concerns of local station directors related to jurisdiction, long hours and compensation.

Also Read: SAG-AFTRA Goes on Strike Against Video Game Producers

Talks between the DGA’s negotiations committee and ABC, CBS and NBC began in September in New York and ended in early October.

The Committee was headed by Chair John LiBretto and Associate National Executive Director Russell Hollander, with Co-Chairs Scott Berger and Brett Holey also assisting.

“In an environment in which local stations, sports and news operations face ever-increasing pressures, it is a testament to both the skill of the Negotiations Committee and to the high value that our members continue to bring to news, sports and operations that the Committee was able to negotiate this agreement,” DGA President Paris Barclay said in a statement.

The Guild’s current contract with the networks expires on June 30, 2017. If and when ratified, the new contract will cover the period of July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2020.

Video Game Actors Explain Why They Are Striking Back at the Industry (Photos)

Members of the Screen Actor's Guild (SAG-AFTRA) picketed in front of the Los Angeles offices of video gaming company Electronic Arts on Monday. Consisting of roughly 300 protesters, the demonstration signified the start of a union strike among video game actors and stunt people that officially began on Friday (Oct. 21). Click on to get six stories TheWrap gathered from the picket line:
Meriah Doty/TheWrap
"The [gaming] employers' inability to shift is wrong," Gabrielle Carteris, the current president of SAG-AFTRA, said. "A strike is not easy and not something I or the membership take lightly," the former "Beverly Hills, 90210" star told TheWrap. "This is a global industry and we stand together," she added, citing support from an array of other labor unions. "It's time for us to take a strong stand."
Meriah Doty/TheWrap
"It's a lot of hard work and we deserve to be paid and treated right," said young voice actor Haile Brown, left, who showed up on Monday to picket along with her father, John Brown. "I'm part of this amazing union and I wouldn't be where I am without them."
Meriah Doty/TheWrap
Actor-producer Ross Michael Johnson, left, and cinematographer Henry Hodge showed up to the picket line in costume. "I'm here to support everyone," said Johnson. Said Hodge: "I have plenty of friends and colleagues in the industry who are affected by this, which is why I"m here to support today."

Meriah Doty/TheWrap
Phil LaMarr, formerly of "Mad TV," performs voice over work and motion capture for video games "Mortal Kombat," "Injustice" and "Metal Gear." "The first time I worked motion capture on a game my character was supposed to be hanging from a harness," he said, describing the situation as being unsafe. "We need protections in our contracts because a lot of actors either don't know or are afraid to assert themselves," explained the actor, who serves on SAG-AFTRA's negotiating committee for the actors' video game contracts.
Meriah Doty/TheWrap
Eliana Alexander, right, and John Nikitin are both actors and producers. "We want equal pay," said Alexander, who has done video game voice work. "We want better pay. We want to be supported and be acknowledged."

The gaming companies are "going non-union," she added. "They're finding a cheaper way to get around everything. Our voices are the strength of those video games."

"I'm here to support my fellow actors. We're all one. United we stand, divided we fall," Nikitin added.
Meriah Doty/TheWrap
"It should not take two years to get a collective bargaining agreement," said Steve Dayan, principle officer of Teamsters Local 399 in Hollywood who appeared with his fellow members on the picket line in support of SAG-AFTRA. "Something is broken down and hopefully the employers will come to the table and make a fair offer to these people who breathe life into these characters. They're the reason why gamers get engaged."

Other unions, including the Writers Guild of America, showed up to the protest to support SAG-AFTRA.

Also Read: UPDATE: Video Game Actors Strike Begins
Meriah Doty/TheWrap

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”It’s time for us to take a strong stand,“ SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris tells TheWrap

Members of the Screen Actor's Guild (SAG-AFTRA) picketed in front of the Los Angeles offices of video gaming company Electronic Arts on Monday. Consisting of roughly 300 protesters, the demonstration signified the start of a union strike among video game actors and stunt people that officially began on Friday (Oct. 21). Click on to get six stories TheWrap gathered from the picket line:

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Video Game Actors Explain Why They Are Striking Back at the Industry (Photos)

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