AMPTP And WGA To Hold Friday Meeting, Solution In Sight?

The conflict between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) took a new turn with the recent agreement between both parties to sit down and negotiate. The latter organization made the request, indicating that they wished to sit down with the entire guild and talk this Friday.

This is an important step forward, according to some WGA members. However, they also stress that they should not be complacent. They indicated that this could be a trap by the AMPTP to lower the demands of this group. Therefore, they should be alert to avoid misleading offers that could harm them. 

WGA and AMPTP to Hold Friday Meeting

Image: Commons Wikimedia-Author Jengod

The AMPTP and the WGA will resume their negotiation meetings on Friday to reach a fair agreement for the parties. Carol Lombardini, the director of the first mentioned organization, made the request for this meeting. The union commented on their expectations for this meeting. They hope to find a fair agreement and that the entire union community will be present to achieve the desired results. About this, a WGA spokesperson indicated:

“Our committee returns to the bargaining table ready to make a fair deal, knowing the unified WGA membership stands behind us and buoyed by the ongoing support of our union allies.”

This meeting followed an earlier meeting between Ellen Stutzman and Lombardini. At this meeting, they discussed the conditions required on both sides to start a negotiating table and agreed on a possible start date, which the AMPTP director later confirmed.

These meetings may end this conflict that has lasted too long. So far, the conflict has lasted 101 days, that is, more than 3 months, and if it continues this way, it could break the record of the previous strike that the film industry suffered, which lasted approximately 5 months. For this, the WGA demands a residual of transmission, according to audience levels, as well as a minimum number of writers on the job and a minimum number of weeks of work.

The AMPTP considered at the time that the union’s ideas were far-fetched and unrealistic. 

WGA on High Alert at a Key Point in the Negotiations

The WGA does not have much confidence in the AMPTP and considers that the latter intends to be able to get a lower agreement than the union had hoped for. In fact, in an email that circulated recently, some spokespersons for the Writers’ Guild indicated that several emails were circulating indicating a move to lower the protests’ momentum.

The negotiating committee also commented on the negotiations. The responsible stated that they must be careful with everything they say. They pointed out that they will be looking for proposals that may look attractive at first glance. However, they must be reviewed with a magnifying glass. On this, they indicated: 

“Every move they make at the bargaining table and every rumor away from it needs to be evaluated through the lens of their attempts to get us to accept less. We’re not falling for it”.

The point that will be the focus of Friday’s discussion is undoubtedly the minimum number of writers per film. According to previous statements, the WGA wants at least 12 writers on each production. As well as ten weeks of guaranteed work and three weeks for each episode in subsequent seasons. The AMPTP denied these demands at the time and is sure to be the first order of business in the negotiations.

Other Possible Points to be Discussed at the Meeting

Not only the number of showrunners in the productions will be on the table in these negotiations. There will also be an economic issue, an important point for the WGA. The issue of residual income from the audience on the different streaming platforms and DVD and Blu Rays sales.

On this, the AMPTP indicated that it intends to give only what it offered to the Directors Guild of America or DGA. Both organizations signed an agreement in June that provided for increases in the first 3 years of 5%, 4% and 3.5%, respectively. In addition to an increase in residual income per audience by 76%.

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