Writers Strike Update: WGA and AMPTP to Resume Negotiations Next Week
The WGA and the AMPTP have agreed to resume negotiations next week in an effort to resolve the months-long Hollywood writers strike.
The AMPTP announced the news in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter‘s Lesley Goldberg: “On Wednesday, September 13, the WGA reached out to the AMPTP and asked for a meeting to move negotiations forward. We have agreed and are working to schedule a meeting next week. Every member company of the AMPTP is committed and eager to reach a fair deal, and to working together with the WGA to end the strike.”
The WGA confirmed the news as well: “The WGA and AMPTP are in the process of scheduling a time to get back in the room.”
The news comes after a month of little progress in the impasse between Hollywood writers and studios, which began back in May when the writers went on strike. An Aug. 22 meeting between the WGA and AMPTP hit a standstill after the meeting between the two sides reportedly led to no actual talks, but a “lecture,” per the WGA. The studios then broke a mutually agreed-upon media blackout by going public with their 12-day-old offer of a “comprehensive package” to the writers.
After receiving an invite to sit down with Disney’s Bob Iger, Universal Pictures’ Donna Langley, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav and AMPTP president Carol Lombardini, “we were met with a lecture about how good their single and only counteroffer was,” the WGA negotiating committee wrote in an email to members at the time.
“But this wasn’t a meeting to make a deal. This was a meeting to get us to cave, which is why, not 20 minutes after we left the meeting, the AMPTP released its summary of their proposals,” says the WGA email. “This was the companies’ plan from the beginning – not to bargain, but to jam us. It is their only strategy – to bet that we will turn on each other.”
As the studios and streamers disclosed, back on Aug. 11 they offered the WGA “increased data transparency” which will be comprised of “viewership data in the form of quarterly confidential reports,” provided to the guild. This includes “total SVOD view hours per title.”
Other aspects of the Aug. 11 proposal include a compounded 13% compensation increase over a three-year contract, including residual increases; protections (financial and otherwise) against the use of AI; a guaranteed minimum employment rate in development rooms; and new terms and conditions for AVOD (advertising-based video on demand) and SVOD (subscription video on demand).
The WGA and AMPTP resumed negotiations on Aug. 11, just after the strike had crossed the 100-day threshold. Some progress was made that day, with the AMPTP making a counterproposal to the WGA’s most recent contract offer.
“Your Negotiating Committee received a counterproposal from the AMPTP today,” the WGA said in an email to its members at the time. “We will evaluate their offer and, after deliberation, go back to them with the WGA’s response next week.”
At the center of the negotiation: an acknowledgment of, and correcting for, the way that streaming has affected the work, compensation and working conditions of writers. “Over the past decade, the companies embraced business practices that slashed our compensation and undermined our working conditions,” the Writers Guild of America West wrote in a tweet. “We are asking to restore writer pay & conditions to reflect our value to this industry. The survival of our profession is at stake.”
Some of the association’s demands include increased residuals for reuse markets, the reduction of “mini writers rooms” that greatly diminish the size of TV writing staffs, increased contributions to pension plans and health funds, and standardized compensation and residual terms for features released either theatrically or via streaming. In addition: enacted measures to combat discrimination and harassment and promote pay equity, and a strengthened regulation of options and exclusivity in television writer employment contracts.
According to our sister site Variety, the AMPTP’s counterproposal touched on several of these issues, including an offer to give showrunners authority to set the size of the writing staff. More thorough regulations relating to the use of artificial intelligence were also reportedly offered.
The clock is ticking: Fox entertainment president Michael Thorn ominously noted this week that the dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes would have to be resolved by Oct. 1 to have any chance at getting new episodes of scripted TV series on the air during the 2023-24 broadcast season. “You’re going to get to a point in the fall, in the late fall, where it’s going to be very hard to launch [scripted shows] within the traditional TV viewing season,” Thorn told our sister site Deadline.
It’s time to go back to work while you still have a job to go back to. Get in that room, don’t run out screaming like a little baby at the 1st thing you hear that you don’t like, and stay in that room until you reach a deal!!
Funny how you’re a “fangirl” but have zero respect for the people who make the tv and films you supposedly love.
Even though you clearly simp for them, the studios don’t write or act. The writers and actors do. As much as the studios may want to, they can’t replace the people who create for them.
She’s the worst, clearly has no idea how the industry works.
Look in the mirror Lauren. Get back to mental hospital you psycho! If i see you commenting here again we will get your IP and track you down.
“Other aspects of the Aug. 11 proposal include a compounded 13% compensation increase over a three-year contract, including residual increases; protections (financial and otherwise) against the use of AI; a guaranteed minimum employment rate in development rooms; and new terms and conditions for AVOD (advertising-based video on demand) and SVOD (subscription video on demand).”
ITA with Fangirl. As far as I’m concerned, the WGA and AMPTP are being UNREASONABLE and GREEDY! Enough of their infantile behavior. I have NO sympathy for them.
Both unions are on strike. Over 170,000 people are out picketing to get their fair share. They’re greedy and not the CEOs raking in hundreds of millions each year? You sure about that?
The WGA and AMPTP are the opposing sides here. It’s possible you meant to say WGA AND SAG-AFTRA, but the AMPTP are the ones they’re taking action against. They’re a bargaining collective for the studios, not a union. You can’t disagree with both of them.
You’re right. Thanks for the correction.
Funny how you seem to have some respect to those people, but have zero respect for the people who make the tv and films on the other side. They are loosing their jobs because of these strikes. And you are supporting those job loses. great.
this strike is so damn annoying! *********** studios!
I won’t hold my breath. The last round of talks went nowhere fast
I kinda hope they don’t reach a deal and the season is cancelled altogether. Those studios need to lose a lot of money, they deserve what’s coming to them. Those big execs can **** off.
Agree with you 💯 percent!
Bob Iger may have to settle for 4 yachts instead of 5. That’s all it’d accomplish.
Meanwhile Billy, Sue and Alan from the behind the scenes crew will be homeless. But you’ll be happy?
What about all the crew members who would then go without a job for a year?
To add to this, the studios can take a hit a lot longer than those forgotten crew members can. It does nobody any good for this strike to go on that long.
wga will fumble it. their now way to into ideology.
half reason sag went on a strike. got tore up after. people did their research and pointed out legal case and guild rule on the matter.
aka the likeness rant they did.
The studios are trying to break the unions. I bet that they figure that they can make it work with imported shows such as ones from Canada & the UK shows produced overseas, (such as NCIS Sydney), and more reality/game shows. I also think that once the strike is finally over a number of long running dramas are going to be cancelled. Why? The costs of keeping these older long running dramas on the air increase each year especially in terms of salaries. Many of these shows still pull in descent rating but the studios have more than enough episodes to sell in syndication. The other reason would be to stick it to the writers,producers,actors & those behind the camera. I know that it seems petty, but one should not underestimate the arrogance of the studios.They would cut off their own nose in order to screw over the unions especially since they will have to eventually settle the strike. The studio executives may think that they are insulated from losing their plush over compensated jobs. They should remember that they too can be fired and shown the door.
I swear, Just how insurmountable are these guilds’ demands, anyway?
Like not at all