Writers Guild, producers set to meet Friday for 1st time since strike began

Negotiators for the Writers Guild of America and producers for major studios are set to meet Friday to discuss negotiations, the first talks since the Hollywood writers strike began May 2, the union’s negotiating committee informed its members Tuesday.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers reached out to the writers union to request the meeting, according to an email from the union’s negotiating committee to the union’s members.

“We’ll be back in communication with you sometime after the meeting with further information,” the email said. “As we’ve said before, be wary of rumors. Whenever there is important news to share, you will hear it directly from us.”

The WGA is pushing for improvements on a variety of fronts, notably for higher residual pay for streaming programs that have larger viewership, rather than the existing model that pays a standard rate regardless of a show’s success.

The union is also calling for industry standards on the number of writers assigned to each show, increases in foreign streaming residuals and regulations preventing the use of artificial intelligence technology to write or rewrite any literary material.

The AMPTP, which represents Hollywood studios, networks and streaming services, has pushed back against some of the WGA’s demands, particularly around its calls for mandatory staffing and employment guarantees on programs. AMPTP has also pushed back against WGA demands around streaming residuals, saying the guild’s offer would increase rates by 200%.

The use of artificial intelligence has emerged as a major topic. The WGA says it wants a ban on the use of AI, and contends the AMPTP has refused to even negotiate the issue. The AMPTP said the issue raises “important creative and legal questions” and requires “a lot more discussion, which we’ve committed to doing.”

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