The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has announced that the studios and streaming companies have requested a meeting on August 4th.
This meeting would mark the first time the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have come together since the WGA initiated a strike on May 1st.
In a statement to its members, the WGA negotiating committee revealed, “The AMPTP, through Carol Lombardini, reached out to the WGA today and requested a meeting this Friday to discuss negotiations. We’ll communicate with you sometime after the meeting with further information. As we’ve said before, be wary of rumors. You will hear important news directly from us whenever there is important news to share.”
The location of the potential meeting remains undisclosed, and the WGA still needs to confirm whether the meeting will occur on Friday.
An AMPTP spokesperson stated, “We remain committed to finding a path to mutually beneficial deals with both unions,” referring to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, also experiencing a strike.
If the two sides convene, it will be the initial step in a lengthy reconciliation process. The WGA’s strike has persisted for approximately 14 weeks after contract talks broke down in May over numerous issues. The Guild has cited the producers’ unwillingness to concede on matters such as viewership-based residuals, regulation of artificial intelligence, and minimum staffing numbers. Additionally, disagreements emerged regarding guaranteeing a second “step” in screenwriters’ deals and providing weekly minimums for WGA members in postproduction, as indicated in a document circulated by the union in early May.
Conversely, the AMPTP contended that the A.I. issue necessitated further discussions, which they have committed to doing. Regarding the minimum staffing proposal, the group criticized it as a hiring quota that clashes with the creative nature of the industry. The AMPTP also refuted the WGA’s allegations that Hollywood companies have fostered a gig economy within the union workforce.
Meanwhile, the SAG-AFTRA, the performers’ union, initiated its strike after their three-year contract expired, and negotiations with the producers failed to reach a successor pact. This strike revolves around issues related to A.I. and a proposal to allocate a portion of subscriber revenue to streaming project casts.
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the national executive director and chief negotiator of SAG-AFTRA, stated, “We are ready, willing, and able to return to the table at any time.” Crabtree-Ireland urged the AMPTP to reinitiate talks, emphasizing that the strike can only end through dialogue and that getting the industry back to work as soon as possible is crucial.
In related news, on June 23rd, the Directors Guild of America (DGA) finalized an agreement with employers. The DGA’s negotiations also touched on issues overlapping with the WGA’s, including certain limitations on A.I. and a new foreign residuals formula based on a platform’s international subscriber count.
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