hollywood on strike

The WGA and AMPTP Have a Date at the Negotiating Table

Photo: David Livingston/Getty Images

It appears the WGA and AMPTP’s meeting to talk about meeting successfully yielded … a meeting. On the 101st day of the writers’ strike, the guild told its members that AMPTP lead negotiator Carol Lombardini has invited the WGA negotiating committee to resume talks. “We expect the AMPTP to provide responses to WGA proposals,†the guild wrote to its members, per IndieWire. “Our committee returns to the bargaining table ready to make a fair deal, knowing the unified WGA membership stands behind us and buoyed by the ongoing support of our union allies.†The WGA and AMPTP’s date at the negotiation table is set for Friday, August 11. The pre-meeting occurred on August 4, when the studios met with WGA’s Ellen Stutzman and Tony Segall for “a confidential sidebar to discuss resuming negotiations for a new MBA,†per the WGA’s negotiating committee. Lombardini said that the DGA deal, struck on June 3, would be a model for the issues of the unions currently on strike and refused to discuss screenwriter-specific issues and residuals, according to the WGA. The writers have been on strike since May 1, and the actors followed in their footsteps on July 13. In addition to proposals that would increase residuals and address other hot-button issues, the WGA asked the AMPTP to ensure members’ right to honor other unions’ picket lines at last week’s meeting. Mickey Mouse, count your days.

The WGA and AMPTP Have a Date at the Negotiating Table