Animation Guild & AMPTP Extend Contract Talks Again, More Bargaining Dates Scheduled For November

deadline.com:

The Animation Guild (IATSE Local 839) continued talks on a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, but negotiations will now extend into November, as the two parties need more time to get the deal done.

The union revealed in a memo Wednesday that talks will resume the week of November 18 for “a consecutive series of negotiation sessions aimed at making progress.” The current contract has been extended again, this time to December 2, to accommodate.

The contract was set to expire at the end of this week, after it was already extended twice to make room for more bargaining dates.

While it probably isn’t the news that TAG members were hoping for, lead negotiator Steve Kaplan said in a statement that this week’s talks left leadership “hopeful that the studios are willing to provide us with the movement necessary to reach an agreement.” That’s some decent progress since the first round of talks in August, when the union said it was still “far apart” from the studios on several key issues.