With the contract expiration looming, Hollywood producers and writers will be joined by a Federal Mediator when talks resume on Tuesday. Prospects for a quick settlement remain dim. By Alex Ben Block
HOLLYWOOD, CA. (Hollywood Today) 10/27/07 – When talks between Hollywood producers and the Writers Guild finally resume Tuesday, less than 48 hours before the current contract is set to expire, a federal mediator will attempt to narrow the yawning gap that still exists between the two sides, but there is still little prospect of progress.
In post-session statements after talks on Friday, the two sides did take a more civil tone toward one another. AMPTP President J. Nicholas Counter kept his message short, but noted “many issues remain unresolved.”
The writers negotiating committee also put out a terse statement, but it was hard to miss the bitterness: “We responded to the package presented yesterday by the AMPTP. We agreed to several of their proposals and withdrew or modified a number of our own proposals in order to narrow the areas in dispute. We also proposed a smaller working group to address several enforcement proposals made by both sides. The AMPTP caucused for more than four hours and returned with a package that included new rollbacks related to our pension and health funds. They rejected our modified proposals and ignored our working group offer.”
The producers also demanded a new venue when talks resume, preferably the AMPTP offices in Encino. This comes a day after some nasty exchanges between the two sides over the lack of available seating at the WGA offices when the AMPTP arrived with a larger contingent than expected on Thursday.
The writer’s statement also indicated it was the producers who decided to take the weekend off, and not talk again until Tuesday, even though the contract expires at midnight on Wednesday, and there are huge issues still to be resolved. It is also noteworthy the entrance of the mediator, from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, was announced by producers but not mentioned by writers.
The writers did release a statement by WGA chief negotiator David Young that opened the session on Friday. He too expressed his frustration. After noting the important of writers in creating compelling content that will be of value on any distribution platform, Young said: “We could argue at length about the economics and prospects of the business. And we have. But I want you to know that our view in this regard is essentially unchanged: despite inevitable challenges, your companies are highly successful. Box office, ad revenue, foreign and ancillary markets all continue to grow and prosper.”
Young also made clear that the writers see this as a chance to correct some of the mistakes of the past. “For a few decades now there has been a growing feeling among writers that they are slowly being left behind,” said Young. “Every new technology or genre, instead of being treated as a new opportunity for mutual growth and benefit, is presented to us as some unfathomable obstacle that requires flexibility from writers–meaning a cheap deal that remains in place. This happened with home video. It happened with basic cable. It has happened with Reality TV. Now you want it to happen with new media and the Internet.”
“We have to find a way in this negotiation to deal with all of these issues in a manner that is fair to writers and fair to the industry,” added Young. “We want to do that. That is why we are here. Whether or not that will be possible remains to be seen. We are well aware that negotiations are about power and the ability to exercise it. We’re prepared to do that.”
There are reports there was some actual back and forth dialogue on Friday, as opposed to all the earlier sessions in which one side or the other pitched their proposals. That could be seen as progress, but it is still measured in micro-inches instead of yards or miles.
If there is no deal by midnight Wednesday but progress is being made with the Federal Mediators help, it is likely the WGA will not call an immediate strike, but will continue the talks while working under the existing contract.
If talks are not going well, or the producer’s decide to lock out writers once the contract is up, then the writer’s anger and frustration could lead to a work stoppage.
The debate among writers in case of a strike is mostly about the issue of TV. If there is an immediate strike, it would have a significant impact on the current TV season. Most shows would have only about half their episodes available. Talk shows could be disrupted. If that happens, it would likely drive the networks to put even more reality and non-fiction shows on the air that are not subject to the WGA’s authority.
Hollywood will hold its collective breath this Halloween night, but there is still no assurance that the goblins and spooks won’t still rule the night, and lead to a strike that would reverberate throughout the industry, with consequences that could last for years.