WGA and studios negotiations continue for third day

The members of the Writers Guild of America are expected to continue picketing on Friday after two days of negotiations with studio heads failed to produce an agreement to end the strike that started in May.

Negotiators for the striking WGA met for a second straight day with representatives of Hollywood studios and are scheduled to meet again Friday amid reports of progress.

Thursday's negotiations ran from around 9:30 a.m. and ended at about 7:30 p.m.

"Your Negotiating Committee appreciates all the messages of solidarity and support we have received the last few days, and ask as many of you as possible to come out to the picket lines tomorrow," the committee said in the statement announcing negotiations would resume Friday.

There was no immediate comment from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which is handling negotiations for studios.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement saying she was "very encouraged that all principals have come to the table for a second day to negotiate a fair agreement."

"The entertainment industry is a fundamental pillar of our economy, directly impacting not just those who work in the industry, but the thousands of small businesses that support the industry every day," Bass said. "I will continue to be in touch with all parties involved. Let's get this deal done."

Representatives from the WGA and AMPTP met Wednesday, September 21, for the first time since mid-August.

Deadline reported that more progress toward a deal was being made, with hopes that a tentative agreement could be reached "within hours or days."

According to Deadline, Thursday's session, like Wednesday, was attended by the so-called "Gang of Four" major studio bosses, Netflix's Ted Sarandos, Disney's Bob Iger, Universal's Donna Langley and Warner Bros/Discovery's David Zaslav.

Multiple trade and business media outlets on Thursday morning reported that a proposed contract could be imminent. Those reports led to an array of "cautious optimism" comments on the picket lines as writers continued marching outside Hollywood studios.

But the waiting game will apparently continue for now. WGA negotiators sent a message to union members Monday, telling them "You might not hear from us in the coming days while we are negotiating, but know that our focus is getting a fair deal for writers as soon as possible. We'll reach out again when there is something of significance to report."

Writers, who went on strike May 2, were joined on the picket line in July by the SAG-AFTRA actors' union. There have been no known contract talks between the studios and SAG-AFTRA since that strike began.

Both unions are pushing for protections against the use of artificial intelligence and improvements in salary, particularly on successful streaming programs.

The WGA negotiating team issued a statement suggesting that some traditional Hollywood studios should break ranks with the AMPTP and reach a deal directly with the writers' union. The WGA suggested it has spoken with some studio executives who believe a deal could be quickly struck.

"So, while the intransigence of the AMPTP structure is impeding progress, these behind-the-scenes conversations demonstrate there is a fair deal to be made that addresses our issues," according to the WGA negotiating team. "... We have made it clear that we will negotiate with one or more of the major studios, outside the confines of the AMPTP, to establish the new WGA deal.

"There is no requirement that the companies negotiate through the AMPTP. So, if the economic destabilization of their own companies isn't enough to cause a studio or two or three to either assert their own self-interest inside the AMPTP, or to break away from the broken AMPTP model, perhaps Wall Street will finally make them do it."

The AMPTP issued a statement of its own saying all of its members are committed to working within the alliance to reach a deal for all studios.

"The AMPTP member companies are aligned and are negotiating together to reach a resolution," a statement from the alliance said. "Any suggestion to the contrary is false.