WGA and studio reps meet, but no signs of strike ending

Proof that any meeting in Sherman Oaks at 4PM on a Friday after slogging up the 405 is DOA from the outset.

Via the Los Angeles Times:

Representatives of the Writers Guild of America and the major studios met Friday afternoon for the first time in three months, but there were no signs of a breakthrough in the months-long labor standoff that has upended Hollywood.

Hopes were raised in the entertainment industry when the WGA said it received a request from Carol Lombardini, president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, to meet on Friday to discuss negotiations. The alliance bargains on behalf of Walt Disney Co., Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix, Apple TV+ and other media companies and streamers.

But in a note to members Thursday afternoon, WGA leaders dampened expectations of a resolution to the strike and expressed skepticism over the AMPTP’s intentions, noting during the 2007–08 strike both sides restarted negotiations only to break apart for a second time.

Apparently, the AMPTP has one playbook and they keep playing it. Here is the email the WGA sent to members after the Friday “meeting”:

Dear Members,

Ellen Stutzman and Tony Segall met with Carol Lombardini and AMPTP staff this afternoon for what Carol stated was a confidential sidebar to discuss resuming negotiations for a new MBA. Topics included — at the AMPTP’s insistence — press blackouts. Also discussed was a potential negotiation protocol and a preview of the issues each side intends to bring back to the table upon resumption.

As of now, there is no agreement on these items, because the AMPTP said they needed to consult with their member studios before moving forward.

Our intention after the confidential meeting was to send a simple email to you all letting you know we would get back to you when there was more specific information about resuming negotiations.

However, before the negotiating committee even had a chance to meet, our communications department began hearing from the trades asking for comments on studio-leaked rumors of the contents of the confidential meeting. This is after the AMPTP spent much of the meeting emphasizing the need for a press blackout.

Since the studios are leaking to the press we need to let you know what was said in the meeting.

First, Carol informed us that the DGA deal would be the deal on any pattern issues.

She stated they were willing to increase their offer on a few writer-specific TV minimums — and willing to talk about AI — but that they were not willing to engage on the preservation of the writers’ room, or success-based residuals. She did not indicate willingness to address screenwriter issues, Appendix A issues, and many of the other proposals that remain on our list.

On behalf of the Guild, Ellen reiterated the expectation that all the fundamental issues over which writers have been striking these past three months would be addressed in this new contract, and that no segment of the membership would be left behind.

Ellen made clear that, in addition to a comprehensive response from the AMPTP on our proposals in all work areas, we will need to address issues arising from the strike, including a health care benefit extension and additional plan funding, reinstatement of striking writers, and arbitration of disputes arising during the strike. We will also seek the right for individual WGA members to honor other unions’ picket lines as they have honored ours during this strike.

Carol’s response — something she repeated three times during the meeting — echoes what was written in the AMPTP press statement yesterday: “People just want to get back to work.”

We agree, with the caveat that those conditions that have made writers’ jobs increasingly untenable must first be addressed.

Your committee remains willing to engage with the companies and resume negotiations in good faith to make a fair deal for all writers, even with this early confirmation that the AMPTP playbook continues. But rest assured, this committee does not intend to leave anyone behind, or make merely an incremental deal to conclude this strike.

In solidarity,

WGA Negotiating Committee

Judging from what I have seen via social media Friday night and all day today (Saturday), the only thing the AMPTP’s hardball approach and lying about press “blackouts” has done is piss off writers even more. As this quote from the L.A. Times article suggests:

“I didn’t picket for over three months just for incremental change,” said showrunner Marc Guggenheim, who was picketing outside the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank on Friday. “We voted for a strike because we’re hoping for systemic change and I think writers are willing to stay out on the picket line as long as it takes to get that systemic change.”

#WGAStrong

For the rest of the Los Angeles Times article, go here.

For the latest updates on the strike and news resources, go here.

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