Posted in: Movies, streaming, TV | Tagged: amptp, SAG-AFTRA, wga, writers' strike

WGA, AMPTP Reportedly Resuming Negotiations This Afternoon via Zoom

The WGA & AMPTP will reportedly resume negotiations later today via Zoom, with the WGA expected to respond to the studios' counterproposal.

At the end of last week, the WGA confirmed to its membership that the AMPTP offered a counterproposal to their contract terms and that the WGA would be evaluating it a returning sometime this week to offer the AMPTP a response. Now, Deadline Hollywood is reporting that the union and the studios are set to resume talks this afternoon. Reportedly, the meeting will be via Zoom and not in person – with the WGA expected to offer a counter to the AMPTP's counterproposal from Friday. What might be learned by the end of today remains to be seen, with the WGA preferring to keep public reveals or discussions of specifics to a minimum.

SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreements Exclude WGA-Covered U.S. Projects

On Monday, the SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical/Streaming Negotiating Committee announced to its members in a statement that any projects filmed in the U.S. that are covered by the WGA are excluded from receiving an interim agreement. The committee wrote that it was "advised by the WGA that this modification will assist them in executing their strike strategy" and that SAG-AFTRA leadership didn't believe the move would "undermine the utility and effectiveness of ours [strategy]." The 200+ agreements currently in place (including those that were approved that also have WGA coverage) will remain in effect – here's a look at the full statement from yesterday:

We will now exclude from Interim Agreements any WGA-covered project to be produced in the USA.

We have been advised by the WGA that this modification will assist them in executing their strike strategy, and we believe it does not undermine the utility and effectiveness of ours. It is a win-win change.

This means that, going forward, for productions taking place in the USA, SAG-AFTRA will only grant Interim Agreements for non-WGA-covered projects. And our staff will continue to investigate each application for an Interim Agreement to ensure only true independent productions are included.

We created the Interim Agreements for several reasons, all of which are aimed at protecting the interests of our members and members of sister unions, so that journeymen performers and crew may continue to work and pay their bills while demonstrating to the AMPTP that independent producers are eager to work with our members under these terms. The strike action is evolving each day. We are adapting in real time to continue protecting our members while collaborating with our sister unions in fighting for our common cause.

SAG-AFTRA continues to support the Writers Guild of America in its fight to achieve a fair and equitable contract. And we continue to urge independent producers to apply for an Interim Agreement and encourage SAG-AFTRA members to work on projects that obtain approval, along with all the other permissible work we support.

In solidarity,

The SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical/Streaming Negotiating Committee

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