WGA Restarts Negotiations With Studios and Will Respond to Latest Offer Next Week

variety.com:

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The Writers Guild of America met Friday with the major studios for the first negotiating session since May, and received a new package of proposals.

The WGA told members in an email that it would respond to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers next week. “We will evaluate their offer and, after deliberation, go back to them with the WGA’s response next week,” the guild told members. “Sometimes more progress can be made in negotiations when they are conducted without a blow-by-blow description of the moves on each side and a subsequent public dissection of the meaning of the moves.

That will be our approach, at least for the time being, until there is something of significance to report, or unless management uses the media or industry surrogates to try to influence the narrative.” The WGA had previously sought to downplay expectations, saying the studios have given every indication of sticking to their “anti-union playbook.” Guild leaders met last Friday with Carol Lombardini, the CEO of the AMPTP, in an effort to restart the talks.

In the meeting, Lombardini stressed that “People just want to get back to work.” “We agree, with the caveat that those conditions that have made writers’ jobs increasingly untenable must first be addressed,” the union said in a message to members last week.