Posted: Thurs., Sep. 28, 2006, 10:00pm PT

DGA topper reels in coin

Roth earned $1.67 mil in pay last year

By DAVE MCNARY

Directors Guild of America exec director Jay Roth remained among the top-earning labor execs by taking home $1.67 million last year — well over half in deferred compensation.

Roth, who’s headed the DGA since 1995, received $649,706 in salary and other disbursements last year plus another $1.02 million in deferred compensation, according to the DGA’s recent filing with the federal government.

The deferred compensation was essentially a bonus for length of service, a common incentive for retaining top corporate execs. Funds were paid annually into an investment account that vested at the 10-year point in Roth’s service.

Roth’s 2005 pay consisted of a $582,095 salary and $67,611 in unspecified contributions and overhead, figures disclosed via the LM-2 filing of the DGA’s annual budgetary report with the Labor Dept. Filing gave no details as to the specifics of Roth’s deferred compensation.

Roth received pay of $658,585 in 2004, according to the DGA’s filing. But the 2004 LM-2 report contained significantly less disclosure than the report for 2005, which was filed under new rules requiring much higher levels of financial detail, such as any cash receipts over $5,000 from a single entity along with a functional breakdown of union disbursements.

Without the deferred compensation, Roth actually received $8,879 less last year than he did in 2004 due to an extra pay period in the previous year.

DGA reps had no comment about Roth’s salary other than to note that it’s in line with the salaries received by other guild toppers, though SAG and the WGA West have lagged in filing LM-2s, so the most recent figures available are for departed execs.

John McLean’s salary totaled $453,781 and SAG chief exec Bob Pisano was paid $510,119, both for fiscal years ended in spring 2004. WGA East exec director Mona Mangan received $445,001 and AFTRA exec director Kim Roberts earned $325,665, both for the fiscal year ended March 31.

Though those payouts are at the high end of salaries for labor execs, they’re smaller than the pay for toppers at sports unions. Donald Fehr, head of the Major League Baseball Players Assn., took home $1 million last year, while NBA Players Assn. exec director Billy Hunter received $2.18 million for the fiscal year ended June 30.

Other top DGA salaries in 2005 include associate national exec director Warren Adler with $323,082; general counsel Robert Giolito with $260,017; and Western exec director Brian Unger with $219,091.

Filing also showed the DGA with assets of $68.3 million, including $17.8 million cash. Liabilities totaled $23.5 million, including $11.6 million in payable foreign levies and $5.9 million due in payments for compilations. Total membership was 13,384.

Cash disbursements amounted to $35.5 million, led by $17 million for “representational activities” — work related to collective bargaining on the DGA’s contracts — along with $6.3 million for overhead, $3.4 million for purchase of investments and fixed assets, $2.86 million for benefits, $2.7 million for administration and $560,216 for political activities and lobbying. Among the payouts to law firms: $437,236 to Geffner & Bush; $238,905 to Latham & Watkins; $130,768 to Bredhoff & Kaiser; and $55,019 to Ziffren, Brittenheim, Branca & Fischer.

Cash receipts totaled $36.9 million, including $13.7 million from dues and agency fees and $10.9 million in “other receipts,” which include $5.7 million in foreign levy payouts from collection societies such as $3.03 million from GWFF in Germany, $778,429 from SACEM in France and $667,860 from SGAE in Spain. DGA also paid $65,616 to Robert Hadl for consulting on foreign levies.

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