The writers’ guild in Hollywood will return to the negotiation table this week after studios sought a meeting to discuss methods to resolve the continuing strike, the group announced Thursday.
Since early May, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) walkout has brought the entertainment industry to a halt, and the two sides have not begun official talks over terms including salary.
The WGA stated in an email to members that it has accepted a request to meet with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which includes studios such as Disney and Netflix, on Friday.
“We expect the AMPTP to provide responses to WGA proposals,” said the negotiating committee’s email, seen by AFP.
“Our committee returns to the bargaining table ready to make a fair deal, knowing the unified WGA membership stands behind us and buoyed by the ongoing support of our union allies.”
The turmoil in the entertainment business was exacerbated last month when the vastly larger Screen Actors Guild joined the writers on the picket lines.
Writers and actors are renegotiating their collective contracts in order to demand higher remuneration, promises that artificial intelligence will be used sparingly, and other working conditions.
The WGA, which claims that existing terms make it difficult for many of its 11,000 members to make a livelihood, celebrated the 100th day of its strike this week, branding it a “milestone of shame” for studios.
The two sides had met last Friday to discuss the possibility of reopening talks.
Countless film shoots and productions have ground to a halt because of the strike, and television’s Emmy Awards were postponed by four months, to January.
