Alliance of film and television producers seeks to resume negotiations with the Writers Guild of America, exactly three months after the strike vote

The group representing major Hollywood studios in union negotiations has called for a meeting with the Writers Guild of America to end a strike that has lasted nearly 100 days.

The president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers wrote to the writers’ guild to suggest a meeting to continue discussions, according to a note the union distributed to its members Tuesday evening.

The writers have been on strike since May 2 after their guild said producers had failed to address many of their key concerns, including the threat of AI to their jobs and the increasing prevalence of short-term contracts.

“The AMPTP has contacted the WGA through Carol Lombardini today requesting a meeting this Friday to discuss negotiations,” read a message from the WGA to its members.

“We will contact you with more information some time after the meeting,” it added. “As we said before, beware of rumours. If there is important news to report, you will hear it directly from us.’

Carol Lombardini (pictured) is the president and chief negotiator of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents companies such as Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony

Writers Guild of America chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman (pictured) speaks outside Amazon Studios in Culver City, California, on July 19

Lombardini is the president and chief negotiator of the AMPTP, representing companies including Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony. Her counterpart in the WGA is Ellen Stutzman.

It is the first significant progress since the strike began and could lead to the end of one of the two strikes that paralyzed Hollywood.

The writer’s strike coincided with a separate strike by actors, which began on July 13 and remains in a stalemate.

It is the first time that both groups have not been on strike simultaneously since 1960. The last writers’ strike started in 2007, lasted 100 days and cost the entertainment industry $2.1 billion.

It was not immediately known whether the AMPTP has made a similar attempt to reach a settlement with the actors, who are represented by a separate union, SAG-AFTRA.

Asked about the prospect of talks with either guild, an AMPTP spokesperson said in an email only that “we remain committed to working towards mutually beneficial deals with both unions.”

Talks between screenwriters and their employers broke down on May 1.

Issues behind the strike include wage rates amid inflation, the use of smaller writers for shorter seasons of television shows, and control over AI in the screenwriting process.

“I would have hoped we would have had some sort of discussions with the industry by now,” SAG-AFTRA executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland told The Associated Press earlier on Tuesday, before emailing the writers. was sent.

“Obviously that hasn’t happened yet, but I’m optimistic,” he added.

Despite the meeting, the WGA and AMPTP remain far apart on a wide range of issues. Among other things, the studio group rejected the guild’s proposals for minimum TV staff and viewer-based residuals.

The WGA announced on May 1 that it had not reached an agreement with the studios and streamers. Al Franken and Cynthia Nixon attend the Writers Guild of America strike outside the NBC Building on May 23

The Writers Guild of America West offices are on display in Los Angeles as Hollywood film and TV writers begin a strike on Tuesday

Alysia Reiner attends the Writers Guild of America strike outside the NBC Building in New York on May 23

The WGA announced on May 1 that it had not reached an agreement with the studios and streamers, accusing the companies of “busting this business.”

“We explained how the companies’ business practices have reduced our fees and residuals and undermined our working conditions,” it said.

Guild leaders have argued that they are trying to make it easier for middle-class writers to make a living in the volatile business.

Specifically, the group accused the studios of turning their profession into a gig economy, meaning writers work almost freelance and don’t have the stability of long-term employment.

The changes in the industry have been largely driven by the advent of online streaming. Residual fees were previously negotiated by the WGA and paid to writers for reruns of TV shows, but those rates declined in the streaming era.

Another issue that led to the strike is surge protection. Streaming has dramatically shortened TV seasons. Shows now run about eight to ten episodes per season, as opposed to the former model of about 22 to 24 episodes.

Writers can still spend longer hours working on shorter shows, effectively lowering their pay per episode. Span protections limit how long writers can work on an episode before the studio is forced to spend more money.

Writers are now looking to expand span protections to apply them to more members.

In addition, the guild is seeking to raise minimum pay rates for writers in line with rising inflation rates and cost-of-living adjustments.

Each cycle, the WGA typically negotiates a 3 percent increase in the minimum payment percentage.

But some board members have called this cycle for doubling minimums, which may be a nonstarter for studios.