WGA Response to Studios Indicates No Quick End to Strike

The two sides returned to the bargaining table last Friday for the first time since the strike began on May 2.

From Variety:

The Writers Guild of America responded Tuesday to the latest proposal from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, but any hopes for an easy resolution of the 106-day strike were quickly dispelled.

The WGA did bend slightly on a few items, according to sources familiar with the talks. But the union negotiators did not offer the significant concessions that the studio side was looking for in response to its own offer.

The guild has continued to hold to its proposal for a minimum staff size for TV writers, though it offered to lower the minimum by one writer. But the WGA was unimpressed with the AMPTP’s offer to give showrunners the authority to hire up to a certain minimum, which would increase based on the production budget.

By no means is that the only sticking point. The two sides remain at odds on items across the board, including streaming residuals and a higher minimum tier for TV writer-producers.

Of course, the AMPTP immediately started using the trades to disseminate false information. Some writer responses:

At some point, the AMPTP will be forced to stop playing games and negotiate in earnest. Until then…

#WGAStrong

For the rest of the Variety article, go here.

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

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