Title: Writers Guild Strike Continues as Negotiations Stall
Subtitle: Talks between WGA and Studios CEOs Not Yet Resulting in Tentative Agreement
(Los Angeles, CA) – Despite three days of direct talks between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) negotiating committee and the heads of major studios, including Disney, NBCUniversal, Netflix, and Warner Bros Discovery, the writers’ strike still remains unresolved. While progress was made on various issues, including AI and minimum staffing levels in writers rooms, a mutually acceptable solution has yet to be reached. The negotiations, running from 11 a.m. to 8:45 p.m., ended without a new three-year contract in place.
However, both parties have expressed willingness to reconvene over the weekend. The CEOs of the studios, Bob Iger, Donna Langley, Ted Sarandos, David Zaslav, along with AMPTP chief Carol Lombardini and WGA representatives Ellen Stutzman, David Goodman, and Chris Keyser, are expected to resume negotiations as early as tomorrow.
In a statement sent to its members, the WGA confirmed that discussions will continue. The guild expressed gratitude for the support shown by writers on the picket lines and reaffirmed their commitment to securing a deal that writers deserve. Moreover, there is a sense of urgency due to the upcoming Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur, which begins on Sunday, September 24 at sundown.
The involvement of the studio CEOs in direct negotiations marks a significant shift in the stalemate that persisted for 100 days after the strike began on May 2. Previous attempts to reach an agreement had failed, prompting the studios’ top executives to be directly engaged in order to address the guild’s proposals head-on.
While frustrating for those involved in the negotiations and the wider Los Angeles County community impacted by the strike, setbacks during labor negotiations are common, particularly in an industry undergoing significant transformation. Both parties had initially planned to conclude talks on September 21 and reconvene on September 26; however, the discussions have been extended due to the positive momentum gained.
If the CEOs and WGA negotiators can replicate this momentum and reach an agreement by the end of this weekend or before Yom Kippur concludes, the strike may be nearing its end, with members to ratify the agreement in the following weeks. The specifics of how the strike will wind down and when writers will return to work have been topics of discussion.
The strike has severely impacted the entertainment industry, with almost no productions in progress. Together with the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, the financial strain on entertainment workers has taken a toll on the industry as a whole. The box office earnings this weekend are expected to hit a new low for 2023.
Not only are entertainment workers suffering, but the state of California, and specifically Los Angeles County, is estimated to experience a $5 billion economic blow due to the strikes. Various industries, including restaurants, trucking, prop houses, and lumber providers, are feeling the effects, with repercussions extending to government finances.
Now in its 144th day, the WGA strike is approaching the record for the longest writers’ walkout set in 1988, which lasted 154 days. SAG-AFTRA, which will need to reach its own agreement with the studios after the WGA strike concludes, has been on strike for 71 days.
As negotiations continue, both the writers and studios are hopeful for a resolution that addresses the issues at hand and brings an end to the strike, allowing the entertainment industry to recover and thrive once again.