Talks Continue to Avoid Writers’ Strike

Talks were scheduled to resume on Monday between the Writers Guild of America and the Hollywood movie studios and networks to work out a new contract and prevent a strike, according to media reports. The Writers Guild and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers met on Sunday, a day before the current contract is set to expire. The guild membership overwhelmingly approved a strike authorization last week. The Los Angeles Times reported that progress was made in Sunday’s talks on sticking points between the union and the studios. One unnamed source told the Times the studio would increase its contribution to the guild’s health plan above the $60 million made in a previous proposal. The guild is projecting that its health plan will operate in a deficit for the next four years, going from a projected -$13.2 million this year to a projected -$65.8 million in 2020. The Times also reported the studios increased offers on issues including the length of television seasons and writer exclusivity. The guild has been concerned over fewer episodes of television series which has reduced earnings for writers, the paper reported. The guild last went on strike in November 2007 for more than three months. During that work stoppage one of the main issues was compensation to writers on content distributed by streaming to computers and mobile devices.