Update: WGA Strike Talks
Hollywood
writers OK contract
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Hollywood writers
voted 9-1 in favor of a new contract that sets aside $41 million for pay raises
to the 11,000-member Writers Guild of America over the next three years. Some
4,128 guild members, or 92% of those casting ballots, voted in favor of the
contract, the WGA announced Tuesday. "No" votes were cast by 343
members, or 8%. "This new contract is the product of one of the most
difficult negotiations we have had in many years because of the complexity of
the issues facing our industry," said Nick Counter, president of the
Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represented
management. The announcement, coming the same day two actors unions resumed
their contract negotiations, eased fears somewhat of a summer actors strike. But
not entirely. "If you're saying something absolutely identical will work
for actors, it won't," Screen Actors Guild negotiator Brian Walton said
when talks between the actors and producers began May 16. The contract for the
two actor unions, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of
Television and Radio Artists, expires June 30. Talks resumed Tuesday after a
nearly two-week break. Leaders of the two unions say their priority is improving
conditions for character actors and supporting players who earn less than
$70,000 annually.
Writers to
vote on contract
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The heads of the Hollywood writers union agreed Tuesday to
forward a tentative contract settlement to the guild's nearly 11,000 members for
a vote. The ballot deadline is June 4. The guild requires a simple majority of
votes to certify the three-year pact, which negotiators recommended on Friday
after a series of marathon bargaining sessions. The Writers Guild of America
leaders "voted unanimously to approve the terms of the proposed 2001
contract and to recommend that the 11,000 members of the guilds vote to ratify
the contract," the WGA said in a statement Tuesday evening. The east and
west coast boards of the WGA met in videoconference Tuesday afternoon to debate
the new contract proposal, which will raise total writer pay by nearly $41
million over the old pact. The deal also increases pay for cable TV shows and
foreign distribution.
Before the deal was reached, some feared a strike by writers would cripple TV and movie production and cost the area economy billions of dollars in lost revenue. Many in the entertainment industry believe there's little chance the writers guild heads or the members will reject the new deal. The contract for the two actor unions, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, expires June 30.
Hollywood writers, studios in pact
Agreement averts strike by 11,000 writers
HOLLYWOOD, Calif., May 4 — A deal has been reached on a new Writers Guild of America contract, averting a threatened strike by some 11,000 film and television writers.
GUILD TREASURER MICHAEL Mahern announced the agreement at press conference at the guild's Los Angeles headquarters. Mahern said the package included ''groundbreaking improvements, and without a strike.''The deal was reached Friday afternoon after nine weeks of bargaining. It set the stage for a similar deal by the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, who begin negotiating their own new contract next week.
The new pact will put an additional $41 million into writers' pockets over the next three years, Mahern said. Last year, WGA members earned over $1.2 billion under the guild's film and TV contracts. According to Mahern, the deal is the most lucrative contract the guild has negotiated in nearly a quarter of a century.
The deal calls for guild minimums — the basic salaries of film and TV writers — to be increased by 3.5 percent over each of the three years of the deal. This alone will increase writers' pay by $29 million over the life of the contract, Mahern told reporters at the standing-room-only press conference.
Another provision of the deal calls for the Fox TV network to start paying residuals at the same rate as the other Big Three networks in 2003. Up until now, Fox has been paying residuals at two-thirds the rate of ABC, NBC and CBS.
One of the stickiest issues on the table was residuals from films and American TV shows aired on foreign television. Up until now, those residuals were ''capped'' so that writers rarely received a residuals check after their shows' first airings overseas. The new contract, however, uncaps those residuals so that writers will now receive residuals in perpetuity when their films and TV shows are shown on foreign TV. According to Mahern, this provision will give writers an additional $1.3 million a year.
Writers of shows for HBO and Showtime will be receiving much bigger residuals checks in the coming years. Last year, writers of programs made for pay-TV — shows such as The Sopranos, Sex In the City, Queer As Folk and all the made-for pay TV movies — earned less than $300,000 in residuals. That will jump to nearly $4 million by the third year of the contract, Mahern said.
The WGA also got a significant boost in residuals from shows made-for-basic cable. Under the new deal, writers will be receiving an additional $850,000 over the life of the pact.
Creative rights issues were also addressed during the negotiations, although the best-known issue — the so-called ''film by'' credit issue — could not be resolved and will be addressed at a later date by a joint committee of the WGA and the DGA.
AMPTP president Nick Counter noted that the contract was approved unanimously by all the film and TV companies involved in the talks, which he called ''one of the most difficult negotiations we've had in many years.''
Counter said that ''it's now up to the guild and the guild leadership to take it to their respective boards. We leave the ball in their court.''
The WGA contract must now be approved by the WGA West, board, and the WGA East, council, and then ratified by the guild's members.
The agreement came after last-minute discussions the Directors Guild of America over creative issues. Consultation with the DGA became the key to settlement of final terms in the writers' creative package. Directors have an immediate interest in those issues, since any change in the status of writers may affect that of a film's director. One person familiar with the directors' role said the writers took the possessory credit off the table only yesterday, and didn't resolve questions about two future meetings between writers and directors over ''preferred practices'' on film productions until today.
Directors Guild president Jack Shea issued a statement congratulating the writers and companies on the settlement, and expressing approval of the negotiators' decision to avoid hard contractual mandates on many creative issues that affect directors. ''We felt strongly that creative relationships should not be mandated, and are glad that those involved in the negotiations concurred,'' Shea said. The DGA had repeatedly warned over the last few months that it wouldn't tolerate interference with directors' core rights in connection with productions.
It would be unusual for guild membership to reject the package if the East- and West-Coast boards follow the negotiating committee in recommending the pact. Three years ago, however, the members rejected a new contract after the leaders of the WGA east and the WGA west split on their support of the pact — a tiff that led to the demise of the WGA west's longtime executive director, Brian Walton, who is now the chief negotiator for SAG in its upcoming contract talks. That is not expected to happen this time, however, because the leaders of both guilds — East and West — are supporting the new contract.
In the tense weeks leading up to the settlement, guild leaders and companies had faced intense pressure from Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and many entertainment workers to avoid a walk-out that promised to cause billions of dollars in economic damage. ''A cloud has been lifted from the Los Angeles economy, and tens of thousands of Angelenos will breathe a sigh of relief,'' Riordan said in a statement. ''
WGA West board member Bryce Zabel, said a unanimous recommendation by the guild's negotiating committee made it virtually inevitable that the deal would be approved by the directors as early as Monday or Tuesday. ''The collective sigh of relief you hear around town is justified. In this economic environment, I can't imagine too many people standing up to an entire committee to say don't do it.'' Zabel said he didn't know many details of the deal, but was particularly pleased by the uncapping of foreign residuals. ''I think that's a big victory.''
John McLean, WGA West executive director, cited ''team effort'' in winning the agreement. ''The WGA East and West worked together harmoniously. SAG and AFTRA attended all of our negotiating sessions and were a great moral support.''
Mahern agreed, and credited last year's six-month strike against the advertising industry by the actors unions with having set the stage for the film and TV producers to make a deal without a strike. ''We would not have achieved this deal if it had not been for the firm resolve and courage that SAG and AFTRA showed in their commercials strike last year,'' Mahern said. ''It showed that there were serious issues to be addressed, and that i they were not addressed, there would be a strike.''
In a statement, SAG and AFTRA — whose own contracts with the industry expire July 1 — said they welcomed news of the settlement. The unions added: ''If the AMPTP and the networks are prepared — as they have assured us they are — to address the unique needs of actors, we are confident we can emulate this significant accomplishment of reaching an agreement without a work stoppage.''
Charles Holland, who co-chaired the guild's negotiating team, said the talks came close to breaking down on several occasions. ''It was a hard climb to the top. You can say that we came to several places where the rubber met the road, but we found a way around it every time.''
On that score, Mahern said: ''There were probably eight or nine issues where we had to reach resolutions, and where we bumped heads and bumped heads, and reached an agreement, and then moved on to the next item.''
The guild did not get everything it wanted in the new contract. The guild got a better deal on residuals from free TV shows that are shown on basic cable, but the guild didn't get a change in the basic residuals formula that it so badly wanted. The WGA also failed to get a change in the residuals formula for films shown on videocassettes and DVD, although it did get writers a $5,000 bonus every time a script goes into production to pay for a buyout of the right to publish the script on DVD and home video.
''It puts cash in the pockets of any screenwriter who gets a movie produced,'' Mahern said.
Mahern and Holland credited the TV writers who served on the negotiating committee for winning the bonus for their movie writer colleagues. ''This is unique. It was the TV writers who insisted it be done,'' Mahern said. ''The TV writers on our negotiating committee made the decision to make economic sacrifices, if necessary, so that the feature writers could get more cash. And that is what really put us over on getting money for screenwriters.''
Lionel Chetwynd, a movie and TV writer who was active in a dissident group that threatened to leave the guild during its long 1988 strike, said he had reviewed the agreement's terms and believed they represented ''the biggest step forward we've taken since 1960, the year we won the health plan. And that took a one-year strike.'' Chetwynd praised the current guild leadership. ''Too bad we didn't have them in the eighties,'' he said.
Even writer Larry Gelbart, who has vocally criticized guild leaders for losing their negotiating edge, said he wouldn't oppose the agreement. ''If it was 11,000-to-one, they'd guess I was the one. . . . But, no, I wouldn't vote against it,'' Gelbart said.
Hollywood
writers continue talks
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Hollywood writers entered their second day without a new
contract Thursday as the threat of a strike that could paralyze the movie and TV
industry loomed. A negotiating session that began at noon Wednesday ended early
Thursday morning after nearly 14 hours of bargaining failed to lead to a new
settlement. Talks were scheduled to resume later Thursday. Progress between
officials for the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture
and Television Producers was difficult to gauge. Both sides have maintained a
strict code of silence. "They are very intense negotiations," said
Cheryl Rhoden, spokeswoman for the writers guild. "A lot of hours and a lot
of work (are) being put in." "I think both parties are interested in
trying to reach a settlement as soon as possible," added Barry Liden,
spokesman for the producers alliance.
A walkout won't happen until the heads of the writers guild call for a vote
from their 11,500 members. Guild negotiators and the heads of CBS, Warner Bros.,
DreamWorks, MGM and other studios gave no indication of how long they would
continue bargaining. An agreement likely hinges on pay for home video releases
and foreign and cable distribution - topics over which both sides have remained
at odds. The writers have demanded an average annual raise of about 3%,
amounting to $99.7 million over three years. The producers alliance has said it
cannot afford to meet all the writers' demands. The entertainment industry has
buzzed with fear of back-to-back strikes for months, as the contract with the
two performers unions, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of
Television and Radio Artists, nears expiration June 30.
Hollywood
writers continue talks
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Negotiations between Hollywood screenwriters and producers
and studio heads ended Wednesday morning without a new deal but with promises to
resume talks, temporarily averting a strike that would halt TV and movie
production. The 17-hour bargaining session concluded about three hours after the
writers' contract expired at 12:01 a.m. The contract was not extended, and both
sides were expected back at bargaining table later Wednesday. Writers Guild of
America spokesman Cheryl Rhoden would not characterize the state of the
negotiations. Both sides have imposed a news blackout. "We're working very
hard to reach an agreement," Rhoden had said shortly after midnight.
Barbara Brogliatti, spokeswoman for the Alliance of Motion Picture and
Television Producers, joined Rhoden for the announcement.
Fears of a walkout have gripped the industry for months, but the writers guild has yet to call for a strike vote from its members. Progress has been difficult to gauge because both sides have maintained a strict news blackout since negotiations resumed April 17. With no word of an agreement, the next step was anyone's guess. Both sides could choose to extend the contract and continue negotiations, and members of the writers guild could also vote in the days ahead to authorize a strike, which could draw more pressure for a settlement
Hollywood
labor talks continue
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Negotiators for Hollywood writers and studios worked into the
wee hours Tuesday to settle their contract dispute a day after the mayor pleaded
with both sides to avoid a work stoppage. With a 12:01 a.m. Wednesday contract
expiration looming, representatives for the Writers Guild of America and the
Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers were trying to bridge a $100
million gap between their respective demands. Failure to make a deal could mean
a strike that would halt movie and television production, possibly delaying the
fall TV season. Progress has been difficult to gauge because both sides have
imposed a news blackout. "We all know that time is running out," Mayor
Richard Riordan told a news conference Monday. "Once again, I call on the
producers and writers to work together in the spirit of compromise and save tens
of thousands of Los Angeles jobs from the cutting-room floor."
Sticking points between the WGA and the alliance center on how much studios
owe writers when films or TV shows are broadcast overseas or rerun domestically.
The writers also want increased residuals from videocassettes and DVDs. Also in
question is whether actors will be available for work this summer. On June 30,
agreements for the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television
and Radio Artists will expire. If the 11,000 writers covered by the WGA contract
go on strike, the first victims would be daily soap operas and late-night
variety shows, followed by sitcoms and hour-long dramas.
Hollywood
braces for writers' strike
LOS ANGELES (AP) - With less than two days left in the Hollywood writers
contract, negotiators resumed talks Monday, hoping to avert a walkout that would
halt TV and movie production. Representatives of the Writers Guild of America
and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers met throughout the
weekend, but ended talks Sunday without bridging a $100 million gap between
their respective demands. With both sides participating in a news blackout, it
was unclear whether they had made any progress over the weekend or when talks
started up again Monday morning. The current contract expires at midnight
Tuesday, and if talks break off, a strike authorization vote and a walkout could
take place within a few days.
The real cliffhanger for audiences is whether a strike will keep their
favorite comedies and dramas off the air in the fall. If the writers walk out,
the first victims would be daily soap operas and late-night variety shows,
followed by sitcoms and hour-long dramas if a strike drags on. Studio officials
and WGA leaders have said they are willing to compromise - but only a little.
Hollywood
strike deadline Tuesday
LOS ANGELES (AP) - With a contract deadline looming at midnight Tuesday for
Hollywood writers, the fate of scripted television shows and movies hangs in the
balance. If the writers walk out, the first victims would be daily soap operas
and late-night variety shows, followed by sitcoms and hour-long dramas if a
strike drags on. "It might be the winter season before the public starts
seeing a lot of new shows," said Doug Lieblein, a writer-producer on the
CBS comedy "Yes, Dear." Studio officials and leaders of the Writers
Guild of America are engaged in last-minute negotiations aimed at closing a
nearly $100 million gap in their demands. Both sides have said they are willing
to compromise - but only a little. Walkout fears have strained Hollywood for
months, with studios preparing for a dead zone in production by rushing film
shoots and trying, mostly in vain, to stockpile scripts.
Not only is Tuesday the last day of the writers union's contract for its
11,000 members, but agreements for the two performers' unions - the Screen
Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists -
expire on June 30. Back-to-back strikes could devastate the entertainment
industry by delaying the TV season and new movie releases even more. TV networks
say they may rely on more reality programming to make up for a lack of scripted
shows, but writers dismiss that plan. Movie studios may turn to releasing more
foreign films or independently made pictures to compensate for the shortage of
Hollywood-produced fare. Talks between the writers and the Alliance of Motion
Picture and Television Producers began Jan. 22, but halted March 1 amid
disagreements over how much residual pay studios owe writers when films or TV
shows are broadcast overseas or rerun domestically. The writers also want more
money from videocassettes and DVDs. Negotiations resumed April 17.
L.A.
mayor to release study on strike
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Mayor Richard Riordan, worried about the financial impact of
strikes by writers and actors on Los Angeles' economy, has commissioned a study
of what everyone working and living in the city might expect. Results of the
study, from the Milken Institute and Sebago Associates, were to be revealed
Thursday. "The mayor is going to speak for the innocent victims who are not
represented at the bargaining table, but whose jobs are still in jeopardy,"
said Ben Austin, a Riordan spokesman. Details of the study were not disclosed in
advance and Riordan has taken no position on the labor dispute. The mayor has
said previously that Los Angeles can expect such strikes to cost jobs both
inside and outside the entertainment industry. Police, fire, sanitation and
other city services could also face tax revenue shortfalls as a result, he said.
The non-profit Los Angeles County Development Corp. has said a work stoppage
would mean losses of about $457 million a week for Hollywood and other
businesses in California.
Contracts covering TV and movie writers expire May 1, and representatives of
the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television
Producers resumed negotiations on Tuesday after breaking off talks in March.
Contracts expire June 30 for both the Screen Actors Guild and the American
Federation of Television and Radio Artists, whose members are closely following
the writers talks. The WGA is asking for more money for writers when programs
are rebroadcast domestically and in foreign markets and when shows are
distributed on video, DVD and the Internet.
Teamsters will
skip Hollywood strike
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Even as the Writers Guild of America prepared to resume
bargaining Tuesday with film and television producers, the chief Teamsters Union
official in Hollywood suggested his members will continue working if the writers
strike. "If it comes down to it, my members come first," Leo Reed,
head of Teamsters Local 399 in North Hollywood, told the Los Angeles Times.
"We usually honor other locals' picket lines. But if there is a writers
strike and there is work to be done, I'll support my members." The comments
are the latest in a series of developments that could bring new pressure on
television and film writers to settle their contract dispute with the studios.
Concerns have been raised about a strike at a time when the economy is
softening, and efforts are underway by other Hollywood unions to avert a work
stoppage. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan has announced a public
relations campaign to avert the strike.
The contract for the WGA's 11,000 members expires May 1. Talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers broke off last month with no agreement. Contracts for two unions representing actors - the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists - also expire June 30. The recent developments have created a new glimmer of optimism. The WGA is asking for more money for writers when programs are rebroadcast domestically and in foreign markets and when shows are distributed on video, DVD and the Internet. The West Coast division of the writers guild already has set up a loan fund of nearly $10 million for its members in case of a strike. The actors' unions, which cover 135,000 performers, have not yet made their contract demands public. The Teamsters local represents nearly 4,000 workers in Hollywood who perform jobs that would be jeopardized by a walkout. The non-profit Los Angeles County Development Corp. has said a work stoppage would mean losses of about $457 million a week for Hollywood and related businesses in Southern California
Strike fears
prompt agency budget cuts
LOS ANGELES (Variety) - With both Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors
Guild strikes menacing tenpercenteries' bottom lines, a panoply of cost-saving
measures has been deployed in earnest at agencies of all size - from those as
hefty as International Creative Management to midsized players like Innovative
Artists and boutiques like Metropolitan Talent Agency, to name a few. Most
notably, the crash diet is on at Innovative Artists, where roughly a third of
the agency's assistants have been dismissed even before the first picket sign
has been hoisted. Moreover, approximately 100 clients will be jettisoned, though
insiders stressed that high costs and the speculative nature of talent
representation has as much to do with those clients' imminent departures as do
the looming work stoppages. And, as is the case at International Creative
Management and Metropolitan and at myriad other agencies and management
companies in between, Innovative's travel and entertainment accounts have been
frozen.
The edict from agencies' upper management is simple enough: Conserve the
dough. At ICM and Paradigm, assistants have lost all their overtime. As of April
15, ICM agents no longer will be reimbursed for entertainment lunches or dinners
without expressed permission from senior-level execs. However, insiders there
stress that not all travel has ceased, and that it's still possible to dine if
deals hinge on the outcome. Meanwhile, at Paradigm, expense accounts have been
limited, but not shut down, and vacations must be taken now, before any strike
could take effect. So, too, at Endeavor, where risks of revenue plunges have
been absorbed chiefly by partners, according to one top agent there who
explained that the partners banked their collective bonuses into a contingency
fund last fall, rather than asking to pass the hat around now. And last January,
United Talent Agency elected to ask for voluntary wage and bonus deferments to
the tune of 20% - all of which would be returned in the event there is no
strike.
Mayor tries to
avert writers' strike
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan is stepping up efforts to
avert a strike by Hollywood actors and writers that could scuttle the fall
television season and curtail movie making. Riordan announced a public relations
campaign Monday that will include a study of the potential economic effects of a
walkout on Los Angeles. The mayor said a strike would cost jobs and affect many
"innocent victims" outside the entertainment industry. Police, fire,
sanitation and other city services would face tax revenue shortfalls, he said.
"I think they owe it to the people of the city to not have a strike,"
the mayor said during a news conference. Contracts covering TV and movie writers
expire next month, while those covering actors end in July. The non-profit Los
Angeles County Economic Development has estimated a walkout would cost the
Southern California economy nearly $500 million a week in wages, taxes and other
losses.
If both unions strike, the first casualty could be the fall TV season, but movie production also would be halted, severely limiting new releases. Riordan said he has been discussing the issue with union and industry leaders and is optimistic a strike can be averted. The Writers Guild of America's demands include increased payments for work in the videocassette, cable TV and foreign markets. A WGA strike in 1988 lasted five months. The Screen Actors Guild also is pushing for increased residuals from international distribution and the broadcast of movies and TV shows on cable
Writers'
guild, producers to talk
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Nearly six weeks after talks broke down, the Hollywood
writers' guild will resume face-to-face contract negotiations with producers
next week, both sides announced Monday. The Writers Guild of America and the
Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said they will meet April 17
at the writers' headquarters in Los Angeles. Concerns about a nationwide
economic slowdown hastened the return to the table, with both sides wary of the
financial strains a walkout could place on the entertainment industry and the
people who work in it. However, studios should not use the shaky market as an
excuse to cry poverty, a WGA spokeswoman said. Barry Liden, spokesman for the
producers' alliance, said the producers recognize that the economic climate is
changing, but added that the rising cost of movie and TV show production and
shrinking audiences have made it harder for studios to profit. The current
contract for the WGA's 11,000 members expires May 1. The Screen Actors Guild
contract ends two months later.
Hollywood
writers talks collapse
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Contract negotiations between Hollywood writers and
producers collapsed Thursday, renewing the possibility of an
industry-crippling walkout this spring. The talks that began Jan. 22 ended
when the Writers Guild of America walked away from the table, according to
the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The WGA confirmed
that talks had ended but had no further immediate comment. The guild had
initially agreed to a two-week negotiation but extended the talks to
nearly six weeks, an indication of progress. Both sides have refused to
discuss details of the negotiations. The current contract for the guild's
11,000 members expires May 1. The Screen Actors Guild contract ends two
months later, prompting concerns about potential back-to-back strikes that
could delay the fall TV season and reduce the number of movies produced.
The WGA has said that if the talks failed to produce an agreement, they
would not resume discussions with the producers' alliance until early
April. A writers' strike in 1988 lasted 22 weeks and delayed that year's
fall TV season. The WGA is seeking increased residual payments to writers
and an end to the "a film by..." credit taken by some directors.
The producers say that's a matter to be worked out with the Directors
Guild of America.
WGA to take strike pulseLOS ANGELES (Variety) - A new battle opens this week on the strike front, with the focus shifting to rank-and-file union writers and whether they will be willing to hit the bricks after the May 2 contract expiration. The Writers Guild of America West will start taking the temperature of its 11,500 members at a closed town hall meeting Tuesday night at the Sheraton Universal. WGA West prexy John Wells and exec director John McLean will lead the confab, expected to be the first of several such events. The guild scheduled the meeting following last week's suspension of negotiations, with WGA leaders declaring the need to lift the news blackout and seek guidance from their members. No new talks have been set, although Wells indicated that the WGA is unlikely to return until April. Members have given Wells and his negotiating team generally strong support since negotiations stopped, citing the focus on the still-massive financial gaps between the latest offer from studios and the WGA's proposal. For more,
|
Writers,
producers extend contract talks The Screen Actors Guild contract ends two months later, prompting
concerns about potential back-to-back strikes from the two guilds
that would delay the fall TV season and reduce the number of movies
produced. A WGA strike in 1988 lasted 22 weeks and delayed that
year's fall TV season. A prolonged walkout this year could drive
some film production to Canada and economists predict it could cost
Los Angeles County as much as $2 billion a month in lost business.
The first two weeks of the WGA talks focused on demands for
increased TV and movie residual payments to writers. Over the past
week, discussion centered on creative rights issues designed to give
writers more prestige and control of projects. |
Writers
Guild accuses studios
LOS ANGELES (AP) - In the midst of early negotiations for a new movie
and television contract, the Writers Guild of America has filed a labor
complaint against the makers of the "Law and Order" TV shows.
The guild accused Wolf Films, the NBC network and related production
companies of refusing to disclose information about whether it has
stockpiled scripts in an effort to lessen the impact of a potential
strike. Universal City Studios, Studios USA Television, USA Development
and Studios USA Pictures Development also are named in the complaint,
which was filed Monday with the National Labor Relations Board.
"Within the last six months, the above-named employers failed and
refused to provide the charging party with information necessary and
relevant to its bargaining obligations," according to the
complaint. The complaint relates to both the show "Law and
Order" and its spin-off "Law and Order: Special Victims
Unit," WGA spokeswoman Cheryl Rhoden said.
Update:
Focus shifts to funds in strike talks
LOS ANGELES (Variety) - Hollywood writers, studios and networks
resumed talks primarily on economic issues Monday as film and
television contract negotiations entered their fourth week. The
closely watched talks, which focused last week on creative rights
issues, are set to hit their 20th day today. Both sides maintained
the news blackout by refusing to say whether negotiators are
making progress. Sources believe the blackout may be giving
negotiators more flexibility, but they also contend that large
gaps remain on key issues with some negotiators growing frustrated
over the lack of concrete results thus far. Talks have gone far
past the original two-week deadline set by the Writers Guild of
America, which is seeking 42 changes in the current pact. Should a
deal be reached prior to the May 2 contract expiration, it would
lessen chances of a Screen Actors Guild strike after its contract
expires July 1. Negotiations opened Jan. 22 at the WGA West
headquarters in Hollywood and have been under a news blackout
since.
Hollywood
strike threat looms
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A Hollywood blockbuster arrives Monday:
Contract talks between the Writers Guild of America and producers
that could avert a strike or signal an industrywide summer
shutdown. The WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and
Television Producers, which represents major studios and
independent companies, were to begin a limited two-week
negotiation. The WGA contract expires May 1. The entertainment
industry has been holding its breath over the possibility of a
walkout by both screenwriters and actors, whose guild contracts
end July 1. A strike would halt movie and TV production, with a
disrupted fall television season the first fallout for consumers.
The Los Angeles-area economy could be hit by losses of more than
$400 million a week, said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los
Angeles County Development Corporation.
Tough talk by the studios, the WGA, the Screen Actors Guild and
American Federation of Radio and Television Artists - representing
135,000 actors - has led to dire predictions. When asked at a
recent news conference if there will be a walkout, 20th Century
Fox Television president Dana Walden gave a succinct reply:
"Unfortunately, yes." Last year's rancorous six-month
walkout by TV and radio commercial actors is seen as a harbinger
of union determination. The very location of the talks appears
symbolic: For the first time in at least two decades, the WGA
demanded the sides meet at its midtown headquarters instead of the
AMPTP's suburban offices. If the two weeks of negotiations fail,
talks would likely be suspended until April.
Report
released on 'runaway films'
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A federal study released Friday details what
entertainment industry people have said for years - that studios
are taking billions of dollars a year from the U.S. economy by
shooting films and television shows outside the country. The
practice, known as "runaway film production," is fueled
by countries like Australia and Canada offering huge tax
incentives to studios willing to shoot there. "Runaway film
production has affected thousands of workers in industries ranging
from computer graphics to construction workers and caterers,"
Commerce Secretary Norman Mineta said about the report.
"These losses threaten to disrupt important parts of a vital
American industry." The report does not recommend specific
solutions, but does mention some from people in the industry,
including federal and state tax credits for filmmakers, loans for
independent film companies, and the creation a federal film
commission.