The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild members continue their strike against Hollywood producers as negotiations become increasingly tense. The Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP) has publicly revealed their latest contract proposal, which addresses key concerns such as residuals and compensation, artificial intelligence, and increased transparency in the streaming industry.
For over 100 days, members of the Writers Guild of America have been on strike, with the actors’ union joining them in July, disrupting the production of TV shows and movies. At a crucial time when media companies are working to profit from their streaming strategies and encourage audiences to return to theaters, this labor dispute has significant consequences. The recent proposal from the studios came after they requested a meeting with the writers and includes the most significant wage increase proposed for the WGA in 35 years.
The proposal offers a compounded 13% wage increase over three years, with specific increases of 5% in the first year, 4% in the second year, and 3.5% in the third year. Additionally, it addresses concerns about residuals, introduces a new compensation structure, provides protections for the use of AI, ensures “data transparency” for streaming viewership data, and offers training opportunities for writers to become showrunners.
AMPTP President Carol Lombardini expressed the desire to end the strike and resolve the hardships faced by those in the industry. She stated, “We have come to the table with an offer that addresses the priorities expressed by the writers. We are committed to finding a resolution and hope that the WGA will share the same objective.”
However, negotiations are far from reaching an agreement. The Writers Guild of America released an update shortly after the proposal was made public, asserting that further discussions have taken place since the initial offer. These discussions involved prominent figures in the media industry, including Disney CEO Bob Iger, NBCUniversal film head Donna Langley, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, and Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.
The union criticized the studios, claiming that the meeting did not focus on making a deal, but rather attempted to pressure them into accepting their proposals. According to the writers, they were met with a lecture on the merits of the studios’ counteroffer. The union believes that the studios’ latest offer still falls short in protecting the rights and interests of Hollywood writers.
The AMPTP has not yet responded to these recent developments. The negotiations continue, and the outcome remains uncertain, as the writers and studios strive to find common ground.
Disclosure: Comcast owns NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC. NBCUniversal is a member of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
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