The Directors Guild of Canada has issued a strike notice to American producers –

The British Columbia Directors Guild of Canada has issued an official strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and its local counterpart, the Canadian Association of Media Producers.

The announcement followed a BC Union vote to authorize the first strike, with 92.2% of members voting to strike in local U.S. films and television if negotiations with U.S. producers did not reach a new agreement. collective.

The BC union must wait 72 hours for the strike to begin labor action, and any production not covered by the Safe Harbor Agreement is subject to possible picketing. It is understood that most products currently filmed in British Columbia have entered into safe harbor agreements and will therefore be protected from any potential labor claims.

Safe harbor agreements signed with the BC Labor Board allow US production to continue to flow into the Canadian province until negotiations continue on a new labor agreement with US manufacturers and until a formal strike is announced. After the strike announcement, a new safe harbor agreement will not be signed from April 26 to protect against any labor action.

Any product not covered by the Safe Harbor Agreement may be subject to labor action, unlike products that have existing Safe Harbor Agreements, where union members continue to work on these kits, according to the union.

None of the union members may choose to resign or take any individual labor action under any Safe Harbor Agreement. On the contrary, DGC BC members can get a job if they are offered safe harbor production.

In 2008, the Canadian coastal province signed safe harbor agreements with the local film and television industry, which dominates Hollywood production in and around Vancouver, to ensure job stability during collective bargaining. DGC BC said it has requested a meeting with manufacturers to resolve any unresolved issues. The parties met on April 25, but the DGC said there had been no progress in concluding a new agreement.

“Yesterday we met with the producers of the negotiations. With the full support of the strike mandate, we hoped they would address issues vital to our members. They didn’t,” said Alan Harmon, chairman of the District Council of DGC BC.

“Your refusal to resolve these issues has left us with no choice but to announce a strike,” he added. The current collective bargaining agreement expired on March 31, 2021, although production remained in and around Vancouver as negotiations continued.

Previously, AMPTP and CMPA warned that US producers could transfer movies and TV series from Vancouver after the DGC branch in British Columbia voted to authorize the strike.

The formal announcement of the strike could be seen by producers as yet another attempt to strengthen the union’s hand in negotiating new collective bargaining for directors, second division directors, unit and production managers and other workers. American Streamer and Studio Filming and Television Filming in the Vancouver Area.

for DGC. BC, Barriers remain in current negotiations over minimum wage payments, especially for low-paying positions, COVID-testing of pay terms, retroactive salary growth before the last employment contract expires, and US manufacturers asking for more concessions. From the union.

DGC BC created an emergency strike fund to support trade unionists who are affected by any labor action. Any BC picket will not affect film and television production in the rest of Canada as these provinces are subject to agreements with the DGC district councils.