DGA Talks Continue for Third Week

9:47 PM PST 11/29/2010 by Jonathan Handel

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Still no news as talks go into possibly final week.

Negotiations between the DGA and AMPTP, representing the studios and producers, continue under a press blackout, with no news leaking so far. The talks are now in their third week. Last week was a short week because of the Thanksgiving holiday.

•Labor

Talks are scheduled through the first week of December, as The Hollywood Reporter previously reported, but it's not clear whether that means this week or next (which is the first full week of December). In any case, if the DGA's history is a guide, a deal will likely be reached during the allotted time.

It's likely that the deal will mirror key parts of the SAG/AFTRA deal recently concluded: a three-year contract, 2% annual wage bumps, a one-time 1.5% increase in employer contributions to the pension and health plans, a shift from first-class travel to business and coach class and no significant changes in new media.

In addition, of course, there would be a variety of DGA-specific changes.

The DGA agreement expires June 30. The WGA deal expires two month earlier, on May 1, but no talks have been scheduled.