Directors ready for action under new contract

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Following the lead of actors for a change, Hollywood directors on Tuesday ratified a new film and TV contract.

The Directors Guild of America said its members approved a three-year contract that provides a 2% annual increase in pay and bolsters employer contributions to the union’s health plan.

The contract, which was negotiated with the studios last month and takes effect July 1, was modeled on a similar agreement secured by the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, whose members last week ratified their contract.

‘I’m proud of what this Guild has achieved and pleased to see the strength and unity of our membership as illustrated by this vote,” DGA President Taylor Hackford said in a statement.

The guild said the vote was ‘overwhelming’ and represented an ‘extraordinarily positive response,’ but as is its custom, the union did not reveal what the actual vote results were or how many of the guild’s 14,500 members voted. A guild spokeswoman said that was the union’s longstanding practice.

— Richard Verrier