Directors Guild of Canada BC. Contract Negotiations to Continue in Last Ditch to Prevent Strike on April 25

Negotiations to prevent a threatened film and television strike in British Columbia will continue on April 25 by the Directors Guild of Canada. The resumption of contract negotiations comes after the Union’s first strike authorization vote, approved last week. Absolute majority – 92.2% of its 1,700 members.

“Our goal is to get a fair deal,” Kendry Upton, CEO of DGC BC, recently told members. “We all care about this industry, so let’s get our hands dirty, get back to the table and find a way out.”

Before the vote, union leaders told their members: “This does not mean that we will go on strike right away. This gives our negotiating team a strong mandate and gives us the right to send a strike message if the negotiators give up on their legitimate concerns… Our ultimate goal has always been to reach an agreement that the member can approve and remain unchanged. ”

The Guild, Film and Television Producers Alliance, and the Canadian Media Producers Association have been negotiating with the Independent Producers Trade Association for over a year. Before the strike authorization vote, they warned that labor instability in the region could force filmmakers to think twice about filming there.

The DGC BC strike authorization vote sends a message of job uncertainty in the province and seriously threatens British Columbia’s reputation as an attractive place to film. Given the potential for job instability in British Columbia, companies represented by AMPTP and CMPA may have to reconsider their plans to launch new products in the state.

Guild leaders responded to their members by saying, “If the number of production messages we’ve received this week is any indication, production isn’t going anywhere.”

If the strike gets to that point, it will be the first in Guild history and halt film and television production in British Columbia, if not elsewhere in Canada. According to Creative BC of the British Columbia Film Commission, more than 30 projects are currently filmed there, including films. parallel forest Y Pink; TV series The Flash, The Good Doctor, Enchanted, Snowman, Riverdale, Superman and Lois, Millions of Little Things Y baby sister; and mini-series The Fall of the Asher Dynasty Y shogun

DGC BC says it “fights for respect, justice and safety for people working under collective bargaining, particularly the lowest paid and most vulnerable, which includes diverse and underrepresented groups in the industry.” The union also stated that it opposes the request for the annulment of the contract.

However, the two producer groups deny seeking reimbursement, saying that prior to the strike authorization vote, they had “carefully considered the union’s top priorities and submitted a comprehensive proposal, including a comprehensive wage increase, to address these requirements.” Increased benefits for members working on certain high-budget SVOD products, including a big hike for top-paying classifications, a big pay increase for location managers, the creation of new high-paying lead background coordinators, and residual payments to managers. “This generous offer does not include ‘payback’ or ‘reduction of benefits’.”