WGA and SAG-AFTRA say the DGA deal will not change their stance
The WGA and SAG-AFTRA groups have issued their congratulations to the Directors Guild of America, who just reached an agreement with studios but noted that this does not change their own stances.
Both groups are keen to stress that they will not be victim to “pattern bargaining”, where the deal the DGA get is offered to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA and often subsequently accepted.
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the executive director of SAG-AFTRA, recently stated, “Our bargaining strategy has never relied upon nor been dependent on the outcome or status of any other union’s negotiations, nor do we subscribe to the philosophy that the terms of deals made with other unions bind us.”
The SAG-AFTRA negotiations will begin this Wednesday (June 7th), while the WGA has been on strike for the past month or so.
The WGA recently stated, in a message titled ‘Onward’, “The AMPTP will not be able to negotiate a deal for writers with anyone but us.” The message explained that the group’s position is exactly the same as it has been for the past month.
Now that the DGA agreement looks to be moving forward, it appears as though a tri-guild strike will be avoided. The DGA has only gone on strike once in its history.
The three distinct unions have stated their solidarity for the coming round of negotiations which makes it a different case from the writers’ strike that occurred in 2007 and 2008.
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