Representatives of the Writers Guild of America and the major studios met with a federal mediator in negotiations over a new contract. The contract for the 12,000-member Guild expires Oct. 31. The union’s membership overwhelmingly authorized a strike call if a deal on a new contract was not reached. The Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday that the talks between the mediator, the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers ended in the early evening on Tuesday at the Alliance’s headquarters in Encino. The two sides are at odds over residuals writers receive for use of their work in new media downloads, Internet streaming and mobile distribution and home entertainment. Talks are expected to resume Wednesday morning, the Times reported.
