AMPTP Statement On Latest Proposal to WGA
November 29, 2007 by Tom
I think we’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in the Writers Guild strike. Today, The AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) released the following statement concerning their latest offer to the WGA:
The AMPTP today unveiled a New Economic Partnership to the WGA, which includes groundbreaking moves in several areas of new media, including streaming, content made for new media and programming delivered over digital broadcast channels. The entire value of the New Economic Partnershipwill deliver more than $130 million in additional compensation above and beyond the more than $1.3 billion writers already receive each year. In response, the WGA has asked for time to study the proposals. While we strongly preferred to continue discussions, we respect and understand the WGA’s desire to review the proposals. We look forward resuming talks on Tuesday, December 4.
We continue to believe that there is common ground to be found between the two sides, and that our proposal for a New Economic Partnership offers the best chance to find it.
Now, the idea that the WGA asked to suspend the talks until December 4th is interesting, and Nikki at Deadline Hollywood Daily has this to say about it:
My sources say this came as something of a surprise to the moguls’ side because their negotiating team was “ready to keep bargaining through the weekend”. On the other hand, the AMPTP side finally presented the terms with so much fanfare that it really surprised the WGA negotiators who’d been increasingly doubful there’d ever even be such a moment.
Now, this could all just be so much labor strife puffery from both sides. But, I remember the 1988 strike, and this is much more movement, much earlier, than we had then. Let’s hope everyone comes to their senses soon. Ugly Betty News commentor Jessica said best what is at stake here:
…how about some sympathy for all the people this strike is hitting in harder places than what to watch on Thursday nights? Everyone knows the writers plight and most support them, but this thing is industry-wide. Actors and production crews, not stars that can go without but extras and day-players barely making rent, are out of work.
So true. The moguls are just doing what moguls do, and many of the writers are treating the strike like a big party. But real people are being hurt right in the middle of the holiday season. Hopefully, this news can be a harbinger of the end of all of this.
Thank you for being positive. I look at comments on Deadline Hollywood and even United Hollywood, and it’s depressing. Especially with everyone who vocalizes hope getting knocked down as naive and every below-the-line person getting pegged as as an AMPTP plot who doesn’t understand that the writers are working for everyone. I support the WGA, but I don’t know how they expect their appeal to last with attitudes like that. That letter, while vauge and not exactly inspiring, does *not* say “this is going to take months”. Hopefully WGA will come back with a new proposal and work for it just like they want their opponents to. They deserve a fair deal 100%, but Jessica is right. It’s about so much more than just them. If it takes a court decision, if it takes locking them in a room and throwing a way to key, they need to do it to get this done. And I don’t feel disloyal to the writers to the say that. This can be done fast and fairly. And the only reason people say it can’t is because they’d rather bitch about how stubborn the AMPTP is without taking the first stop themselves. Go WGA. . .but go SOMEWHERE.
More good news; the WGA has made their counter offer. Maybe both sides will finally sit down, and actually talk about this matter.