BARGAINING UPDATE: May 5, 2022

Here’s Where Things Stand

We last met with the Producers on April 25th. They advised us at the end of that meeting that they would only be prepared to continue negotiations if we agreed to a “precondition” to drop two proposals of critical importance to you: retro and payment terms for COVID testing.  

Essentially they wanted us to give them two concessions before they would even agree to meet again. 

While we would not agree to these “preconditions”, we are, and have always been, ready to negotiate. We indicated our willingness to get back to the table. To date, we have not heard back about bargaining dates from them.

Strike Notice and Safe Harbour

On April 26 we issued strike notice, giving us the ability to take job action on productions not covered by safe harbour agreements. 

Given that this is the first time we have issued strike notice, we conducted a review to determine which productions are in compliance with the requirements of the Safe Harbour Agreement.  

It appears that a number of upcoming productions are not in compliance, and we are therefore doing a more thorough audit.

Labour Action

If and when we call for job action, we’ll publish a list of productions that are protected. Any labour action must be decided upon and coordinated by the DGC BC. We will notify you when and how labour action would be implemented.

Before we call for job action, Members and Permittee Logbook Holders can work on any DGC signatory production.

BC Council of Film Unions Update

On Wednesday, the BC Council of Film Unions (IATSE 891, Teamster 155, and ICG 669) announced that they have concluded bargaining. They will be releasing more details once their Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) has been agreed to, at which time they will be going back to their members for ratification.

What’s Next?

Now that the Producers have concluded negotiations with the Council, our expectation is that they will turn their attention back to our negotiations and hammer out a deal.

It’s time for the Negotiating Producers to get back to the table and work with us. We’re ready to bargain. We’ve always been willing to negotiate. The employers need to get serious about making a deal.

DGC BC Negotiating Team and Executive Board