In the event you thought the Writers Guild of America would play an ideal position in tomorrow’s assembly between WGA Chief Negotiator Ellen Stutzman and AMPTP President Carol Lombardini – you may actually wish to suppose once more.
In a flag-raising assertion launched this afternoon, the WGA Negotiation Committee criticized studios and broadcasters for enjoying video games, spreading misinformation, and utilizing the identical “drained playbook” in labor relations.
The e-mail despatched to members, a lot of whom have been on picket strains since Might 2, bluntly mentioned, “We can’t prejudge what’s to return. However playbooks are dying arduous.”
Taking a swing or two at Deadline’s reporting (although they do not remind us by title) of the tough endgame envisioned by the studios and back-channel connections earlier than Lombardini lastly referred to as Stutzman on Aug. 1 after greater than 90 days of silence on the highest stage, The committee added:
Thus far, firms have wasted months on their identical failed technique. Time and time once more, by means of nameless quotes within the media, they’ve tried to make use of scare techniques, rumors, and lies to weaken our resolve. Article after article has perpetuated the parable {that a} strike has no affect as a result of streaming providers have libraries and a few merchandise within the pipeline. Critics, citing studio executives, declare that the strike is nice for the businesses financially and that they’d be joyful to increase it into 2024 to allow them to write off their losses.
That is calculated misinformation concerning the true affect of the sustained strikes. Now we have discontinued manufacturing. Union writers and representatives are so important on this trade that firms cannot even try to do work with out us. It isn’t a viable enterprise technique for these firms to shut their companies for 3 months and counting irrespective of how arduous they attempt to faux they do.
In what’s broadly anticipated to be a gathering a couple of assembly and different potential talks, a session between Stutzman and Lombardini is scheduled for AMPTP’s Sherman Oaks workplaces late Friday morning, I hear.
Learn the total WGA assertion right here:
Now we have been on strike for 94 days. SAG-AFTRA joined us 21 days in the past. Each of our unions are superb at making certain the way forward for writers and performers on this enterprise that can’t exist with out us.
Each step of the way in which on this wrestle, the AMPTP ran its drained anti-union guide proper after the 2007/2008 strike.
We first talked to you about this in Might when AMPTP was attempting to divide and conquer the enterprise by refusing to barter, going first to the DGA after which to SAG-AFTRA to attempt to make offers that they’d then attempt to power on writers, no matter our wants.
We all know the way it went.
Now, two unions are on strike and the trade is after three months of shutdown which is inflicting delay after delay of TV and flicks. Clearly, it is time for firms to get a brand new lead – one which acknowledges the authentic issues which have precipitated these strikes and takes steps to handle them.
However we have been down this highway earlier than.
Here is what occurred in 2007/2008: After negotiations stalled on October thirty first inflicting the strike, they resumed in late November solely to be interrupted for a second time in December because the strike continued. Why? As a result of when the businesses bought again to the negotiating desk, they weren’t critical about addressing the WGA proposals. They referred to as the management of the guild “elusive”. They’ve waged a relentless marketing campaign by means of the media and their proxies to unfold dissent.
We is not going to prejudge what’s to return. However playbooks die arduous. Thus far, firms have wasted months on their identical failed technique. Time and time once more, by means of nameless quotes within the media, they’ve tried to make use of scare techniques, rumors, and lies to weaken our resolve. Article after article has perpetuated the parable {that a} strike has no affect as a result of streaming providers have libraries and a few merchandise within the pipeline. Critics, citing studio executives, declare that the strike is nice for the businesses financially and that they’d be joyful to increase it into 2024 to allow them to write off their losses.
That is calculated misinformation concerning the true affect of the sustained strikes. Now we have discontinued manufacturing. Union writers and representatives are so important on this trade that firms cannot even try to do work with out us. It isn’t a viable enterprise technique for these firms to shut their companies for 3 months and counting irrespective of how arduous they attempt to faux they do.
Rumors of back-channel talks have swirled this week, pushed completely by administration, and solely as a result of they see it as a helpful tactic. Give the city hope, mood our emotions, and attempt to use the struggling of different employees and companies to stress us to calm down. It bought us to collectively throw away the energy we had gathered and make us settle for a foul deal. It is all a part of the principles of the sport. Each transfer they make on the negotiating desk and each rumor away from it must be evaluated by means of the lens of their makes an attempt to make us settle for much less.
We do not fall for it. The writers — screenwriters, Appendix A writers, TV episodic writers, all writers — have walked collectively for 94 days to this point. We have labored to make writing a viable profession for all of us, now and sooner or later. We didn’t come all this fashion, and sacrificed this a lot, to save lots of ourselves.
So, we problem the studios and AMPTP to return to the assembly they referred to as this Friday with a brand new clue: be prepared to make a good deal and begin repairing the harm your strikes and enterprise practices have executed to employees on this trade.
Till then, fellow writers, we’ll see you on the strains.
In solidarity with,
WGA Negotiating Committee