Striking Hollywood workers are set to return to the bargaining table with the major studios and streamers Friday following more than 100 days of picketing that has brought TV and movie production to a standstill around the country.
The resumption of talks follows a nasty, acrimonious sit-down last week that ended with the two sides still miles apart. The Writers Guild of America accused the studios’ negotiating body, the AMPTP, of leaking details of the meeting to the news media and of continuing to stonewall negotiations.
WGA leaders expressed a willingness to try again this week.
“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 guild said in a statement.
The 100-day milestone means the WGA strike has surpassed the last writers strike in 2007 in terms of duration.
Members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild walk the picket line outside of Netflix in Hollywood, California, on August 9, 2023. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
It remains unclear when striking actors will sit down again with the studios. The SAG-AFTRA strike began more than two months after writers walked off the job.
The historic double strike has essentially shut down the entertainment industry and wreaked havoc on local economies stretching from California to Georgia that serve the industry.
With no end in sight, writers and actors are doubling down on their demands for better compensation tied to streaming media as well as guarantees that they won’t be replaced by artificial intelligence technology.
But Hollywood executives appear to be playing a game of attrition as strikers burn through their personal savings. They are also aggressively pursuing A.I., with Disney, Netflix, and others ramping up investments in the technology.
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