The WGA has notified its members that its leaders will resume negotiations with the AMPTP and its chief negotiator Carol Lombardini on Wednesday.
The guild has been on strike for 140 days and the last round of talks happened in Sherman Oaks a month ago on Aug. 18, with the studios insisting on wasting precious time since then.
Of course, it should be noted that four studio heads met with WGA leaders on Aug. 22 to “lecture” them into accepting the AMPTP’s latest offer, which was presented on Aug. 11. The AMPTP has said that the WGA called last Wednesday to request a meeting, though the guild hasn’t confirmed whether it made or received the call to restarts talks.
“The WGA and AMPTP now have a confirmed schedule to bargain this week, starting on Wednesday. You might not hear from us in the coming days while we are negotiating, but know that our focus is getting a fair deal for writers as soon as possible. We’ll reach out again when there is something of significance to report. In the meantime, please continue to demonstrate your commitment and unity by coming out to the picket lines – for yourselves and fellow writers, SAG-AFTRA, other unions’ members, and all those in our community who are impacted by the strikes,” read a note from the guild to members.
After getting down last week about the return of daytime TV programs such as The Drew Barrymore Show and The Jennifer Hudson Show, the WGA found reason to cheer over the past 24 hours as those two hosts walked back their plans to bring back their shows, as did HBO’s Bill Maher. All of them gave in to peer pressure on social media, which may ultimately be what convinces the AMPTP to come to a fair deal with both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA.
While the two sides continue to negotiate thorny issues such as streaming residuals, AI regulations, and mandatory staffing levels, hundreds of showrunners have banded together to raise another $260,000 in strike relief funds, bringing the total to nearly $500,000 to date.
The money will go to the Entertainment Community Fund, and creatives who have contributed include Boots Riley (I’m a Virgo), Marc Guggenheim (Arrow), Angela Kang (The Walking Dead), Sierra Teller Ornelas (Rutherford Falls), and Lilly Wachowski (The Matrix), though you can also donate anonymously.
Greg Berlanti has also been a major supporter of the ECF, which has already handed out over $6 million in financial aid to approximately 3,000 film and TV workers since the strikes began, with the average donation coming in around $1,000.
