Amidst the ongoing strike, members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) have vocally expressed their frustrations regarding the recent attempts by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to initiate negotiations. A meeting held on Friday aimed to assess the possibility of finding common ground, yet after 95 days of strike action, the guild announced to its members that no agreement had been reached in talks with the studio and streaming representatives.
In a comprehensive update addressed to WGA members, the union outlined the key points both parties intended to bring to the negotiating table when discussions officially recommence.
As outlined in the Writers Guild memo, the AMPTP is endeavoring to adopt the agreement reached earlier this summer by the Directors Guild of America (DGA) as a model for addressing shared concerns such as pay increments. While displaying a willingness to improve their offer on certain television minimums specific to writers, the AMPTP has not shown flexibility on essential writer-centric issues, including the minimum size of writers’ teams and residuals based on project success, among other pertinent topics. (You can find the complete WGA update here.)
Despite attempts to solicit feedback, the AMPTP has yet to respond to the meeting’s outcome, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Dan Signer (Lopez vs. Lopez), a WGA member, candidly criticized the meeting, stating, “Numerous statements during the meeting were both offensive and out of touch. Disregarding the complexities involved… It’s absurd to suggest that, while we’re in the fourth month of a strike, we would accept the same terms that the DGA inexplicably embraced.” The DGA’s agreement with the AMPTP, officially endorsed by its membership on June 23, has been met with dissatisfaction from writers who feel that the DGA needs to achieve more progress.
Filmmaker Joe Russo (Nightmare Cinema) echoed this sentiment, quoting from the WGA’s Friday memo: “The DGA deal was a huge letdown.” Screenwriter Trevor Munson added, “A negotiation tip: Never reference the ‘DGA deal’ again.”
SAG-AFTRA, Hollywood’s largest union, struck shortly after the DGA reached its settlement.
Rob Forman, a WGA board hopeful and Universal’s lot coordinator, expressed disappointment at the AMPTP’s perceived lack of movement: “It’s starting to seem that AMPTP negotiators are unaccustomed to hearing ‘no,’ not realizing that writers and actors encounter rejection countless times before breakfast.”
In a communication on Friday, the WGA indicated that should they agree with the AMPTP, members would maintain their strike stance until SAG-AFTRA also secured a satisfactory deal. The statement read, “We will also seek the right for individual WGA members to honor other unions’ picket lines as they have honored ours during this strike.”
This declaration rallied writers, who drew strength from the guild’s unwavering commitment and support for SAG-AFTRA. Numerous performers joined WGA’s picket lines as SAG-AFTRA negotiated with the AMPTP before initiating their strike three weeks ago.
Unbraided writer-director Caroline Renard, a volunteer strike captain for WGA, emphatically affirmed, “WGA stands united to prevent leaving anyone behind just to conclude the strike and appease others, only to remain in the same unfavorable situation. Remain steadfast. We’re up to the challenge.” Fellow strike captain Brittani Nichols (Abbott Elementary) stressed, “Writers never cross picket lines. Share the message.”
Writer Steven DeKnight (Spartacus) lauded, “The WGA negotiating committee’s email provides the motivation we all need.” In contrast, Eric Haywood, a member of the WGA negotiating committee, referenced the impressive turnout supported by SAG-AFTRA on Friday that led to traffic congestion around Universal Studios. He remarked, “The studios witnessed this event and likely realized they weren’t as dominant as they believed.”
Strike captain Helen Shang affirmed, “Our union fights for the livelihood of everyday writers. We advocate for transparency, fairness, and preventing our work’s exploitation. Our union abided by the media blackout. Tonight’s maneuvers by the AMPTP have more solidified my commitment to the strike than ever.”
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