Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/618780
he 1987 nego- tiations were perhaps the most difficult in Guild history as the studios attempted to roll back DGA and industry residuals for pay TV and video-on-demand. The slogan of the nego- tiations was "Protect Our Future," but as the studios were adamant on their demands, the Guild planned meticulously for a strike guided by Presi- dent Gil Cates, strike captain Robert Butler, and, appropri- ately, Clint Eastwood as head of the enforcement commit- tee. Separate plans were made in the DGA's New York office under local leaders. "This is what we do for a living—if anybody should be able to organize and run this kind of opera- tion, we should," said Butler. Plans called for having nearly 5,000 members, led by 200 picket captains, taking up positions outside dozens of locations throughout Hollywood. The industry had never seen a strike like this before. "Someone called the studio heads," recalled Cates, "and I heard Lew Wasserman and a couple of them actu- ally came over to see if the Guild was on strike. From then on, it was only about 20 minutes before calls were made to take the issue off the table and the strike was over. I would say while it's called a 'five-minute strike,' the actual strike itself, if measured from 9 o'clock in the morning when the strike started till folks were told they could leave, it was probably about 40 minutes [in Los Angeles and three hours in New York]." 1989 Arthur Hiller Elected DGA President >Serves 1989-1993 Pension and Health Plans Exceed $500 Million in Assets Franklin J. Schaffner Elected President >Serves 1987-1989 Rouben Mamoulian, Last Living Founding Guild Director, Dies at 90 " We used to say, just because you bought the Mona Lisa doesn't mean you can paint a mustache on her. We finally got them to put a note at the end of the film saying it had been altered, shortened, or changed for television. " ARTHUR HILLER THE FIVE-MINUTE STRIKE "The DGA is known for its thoughtful, well-researched and deliberate negotiations, but when pushed, like in 1987, is not afraid to apply those same skills to the organi- zation of an impact- ful strike—one that affects change in minutes, not months." —THOMAS SCHLAMME | Third Vice President Guild Moves Into New Headquarters >The Guild outgrows its current building and moves across the street to its new home, a distinctive circular structure on Sunset Bou- levard with three state-of- the-art theaters. Membership Tops 9,000 dga quarterly 49 1990 New Contract >Basic Agreement, FLTTA, and Network Contracts negotiated. Rate increase for ADs, UPMs, associate directors, and stage managers. Workday for 2nd ADs reduced. Collec- tion of foreign residuals improved. "We wanted a signa- ture building that would express the special per- sonality of the Directors Guild. The architects designed a beautiful round structure. When you're driving down Sunset, the morning or evening sun would make it appear as if the building was turning." —GIL CATES PHOTOS: (CLOCKWISE, TOP RIGHT) MARK MAINZ/GETTY IMAGES; DGA ARCHIVES (3); SCOTT COUNCIL; DGA ARCHIVES T