The Writers Guild of America and representatives of Hollywood studios held their first negotiating session on Friday, Aug. 11, since the union went on strike May 2, and while no specifics were released, the WGA told its members that studios offered a “counterproposal” to union demands.
“We will evaluate their offer and, after deliberation, go back to them with the WGA’s response next week,” the union’s negotiating committee wrote in a message to members Friday afternoon.
The union, however, did not disclose any details about the counterproposal offered by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios.
“Sometimes more progress can be made in negotiations when they are conducted without a blow-by-blow description of the moves on each side and a subsequent public dissection of the meaning of the moves,” according to the WGA negotiating committee. “That will be our approach, at least for the time being, until there is something of significance to report, or unless management uses the media or industry surrogates to try to influence the narrative.”
The committee urged members in the meantime to continue their presence on picket lines, along with members of the striking SAG-AFTRA actors’ union.
Friday’s resumption of talks was the first glimmer of hope in three months of a possible break in the labor stalemate that has essentially shut down production and brought the entertainment industry to a halt.
There was no official statement from the AMPTP about Friday’s talks.
On Wednesday, the WGA marked the 100th day of its strike — matching the duration of the union’s last walkout in 2007-08.
Last Friday, WGA leaders met with AMPTP leadership to discuss a possible resumption of talks. According to the WGA, that discussion showed the two sides remain far apart on several key issues, including success-based residuals for streaming content.
In a message to WGA members late week, negotiators said the…
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