Directors Guild Of Canada BC Resumes Film & TV Contract Talks With AMPTP & Canadian Producers Association

EXCLUSIVE: The Directors Guild of Canada BC has returned to the virtual bargaining table with the AMPTP and the Canadian Media Producers Association in an attempt to reach an agreement on a new film and TV contract. “The DGC BC and the negotiating producers continue to bargain this week, meeting virtually,” the guild said in a statement.

The British Columbia branch of the DGC issued a 72-hour “strike notice” on April 26 after members voted overwhelmingly to authorize a “strike mandate” (92.2% in favor) on April 8.

But because of a quirk in Canadian labor law, the guild never was able to call for a work stoppage. That’s because in 2008, the BC Labor Board imposed safe harbor agreements upon the industry to provide for labor stability during collective bargaining. Because of that, every film and TV show that was in production in British Columbia when the strike notice was issued had already signed a safe harbor agreement, allowing them to go on shooting as long as they abided by its terms. If and when a collective bargaining agreement is ultimately reached, they’ll have to abide by its terms as well.

AMPTP Warns Directors Guild Of Canada That Ongoing Strike Authorization Vote In British Columbia May Force Companies To “Re-Evaluate” Filming There

Three days after the strike notice was issued, the guild said that “no further safe harbor agreements have been signed. All productions currently filming in BC have safe harbor protection. Any production that has signed and complies with the terms of a safe harbor agreement is protected from labor action. Labor action can be implemented any time after 3:10 pm today on productions not covered by safe harbor agreements. All labor action will be decided upon and coordinated by the DGC BC.”

Filming isn’t affected anywhere else in Canada. In Toronto, which like British Columbia is also a major filming destination, directors and their crews are represented by a different DGC district council, which has its own separate contracts.

According to the guild, the key issues that remain outstanding include:
• Minimum wage differentials: as minimum wage increases, so should all wage rates of lower-paid positions.
• Payment terms for Covid testing.
• Retroactivity of wage increases to the expiry of the last collective agreement.
• The negotiating producers’ demands for further concessions

Those issues, the guild said, “primarily impact the lowest paid and most vulnerable positions.” The DGC BC represents directors, 2nd unit directors, and production and unit managers, plus those employed in various assistant director and locations departments, as well as entry-level production assistants.

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