Representatives of the major studios and Writers Guild of America (WGA) negotiators met for the first time in three months on August 4 to discuss whether contract talks can resume, as the Hollywood writers’ strike approaches the 100-day mark.
The strike, which began on May 2, involves 11,500 members of the guild and centres around issues such as pay, streaming residuals, and limitations on the use of artificial intelligence in the entertainment industry.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass expressed encouragement over the reopening of communication, as the ongoing strikes by writers and actors have had a negative impact on the economy. “It is critical that this gets resolved immediately so that Los Angeles gets back on track,” she said in a statement, reported Reuters.
Neither the WGA nor the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), representing studios like Walt Disney and Netflix, provided updates on the talks at that point.
Prior to the meeting, both parties exchanged pointed statements. The WGA’s negotiating committee called on the studios to abandon tactics used during the previous writers’ strike in 2007-08, accusing them of spreading misinformation about the real impact of the current strike. The WGA urged the studios to come to the meeting with a new approach, willing to make a fair deal and address the issues affecting industry workers. “We challenge the studios and AMPTP to come to the meeting they called for this Friday with a new playbook,” WGA stated in an email.
The AMPTP responded by calling the WGA’s rhetoric “unfortunate” and stated that the discussion with the WGA was aimed at determining if they have a willing bargaining partner. “Our only playbook is getting people back to work,” AMPTP said in a statement.
The strike is not only affecting writers but is also having a broader impact on the entertainment industry, including florists, caterers, and costume suppliers who support film and TV production. On July 14, members of the Screen Actors Guild also went on strike after failing to reach an agreement with the studios on a new three-year contract.
The combined impact of the writers’ and actors’ strikes is halting most work on scripted series for the fall TV season and film production. The uncertainty caused by the strikes led Warner Bros Discovery to warn investors that film releases could be delayed, and there might be an impact on the production and delivery of content.
The strike’s consequences are reaching various aspects of the industry, and even television’s Emmy Awards are expected to be rescheduled to air in January due to the ongoing strikes.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Updated: 05 Aug 2023, 09:12 AM IST