Negotiations Continue Between Striking Writers and Hollywood Studios
Representatives from the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers met for a second consecutive day on Thursday. Although there have been reports of progress, no official statement has been released regarding the status of the talks.
This meeting marked the first time the WGA and the studios have come together since mid-August. At the conclusion of the initial meeting, a joint statement was issued stating that negotiations would resume the following day.
Thursday’s session concluded without any official comments from either side regarding the content of the discussions.
Deadline reported that substantial progress was being made towards a potential agreement, with hopes that a tentative deal could be reached in the coming hours or days.
Nevertheless, an official timeline for resuming contract negotiations has not been announced.
The meeting on Thursday, similar to the one on Wednesday, saw the attendance of the four major studio bosses—Ted Sarandos from Netflix, Bob Iger from Disney, Donna Langley from Universal, and David Zaslav from Warner Bros./Discovery.
Multiple news outlets reported on Thursday morning that a proposed contract may be imminent. These reports generated cautious optimism among writers who continued to march outside Hollywood studios.
However, it seems that the waiting game will persist for now.
In a message to union members on Monday, WGA negotiators indicated that there might be a temporary silence while negotiations are ongoing. However, they assured members that their focus is on securing a fair deal for writers as soon as possible and they will reach out again when there is significant news to report.
The writers went on strike on May 2 and were joined by the SAG-AFTRA actors’ union in July. No contract talks have taken place between the studios and SAG-AFTRA since the actors’ strike began.
Both unions are advocating for safeguards against the use of artificial intelligence and improvements in salary, especially for successful streaming programs.
In early September, negotiations appeared to be at a standstill, prompting the WGA negotiating team to propose that some traditional Hollywood studios break ranks with the AMPTP and directly negotiate a deal with the writers’ union. According to the WGA, they have spoken with certain studio executives who believe a swift agreement is possible.
“While the AMPTP’s intransigence impedes progress, these behind-the-scenes conversations demonstrate that there is a fair deal to be made addressing our concerns,” stated the WGA negotiating team. “We have made it clear that we are willing to negotiate with one or more major studios outside the AMPTP to establish a new WGA deal.
“There is no requirement for companies to negotiate through the AMPTP. Therefore, if the economic instability of their own companies is not enough to prompt a studio or two or three to prioritize their own interests within the AMPTP or break away from its flawed model, perhaps Wall Street will finally push them to do so.”
The AMPTP, however, issued its own statement affirming that all of its member companies are committed to working collectively within the alliance to achieve a fair deal for all studios.
“The AMPTP member companies are united in their negotiation efforts towards a resolution,” the alliance’s statement read. “Any suggestion to the contrary is false.
“Each member company of the AMPTP desires a fair deal for writers and actors, as well as an end to the strikes which are impacting not only our colleagues in the industry, but also thousands of others. This is why the AMPTP has consistently presented offers that address the major concerns of the WGA, including the most recent offers on August 17th and 18th.”
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