WGA to resume AMPTP talks next week as writers union considers proposals

The US writers strike could be inching closer to a resolution, after the Writers Guild Of America (WGA) confirmed it had received a counterproposal to its demands.

The WGA met reps of the The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) for the first time in three months on Friday, as the US strike extended beyond 100 days.

Details of the AMPTP proposals were not revealed but the WGA said it would “evaluate their offer and, after deliberation, go back to them with the WGA’s response next week.”

The note to members continued: “Sometimes more progress can be made in negotiations when they are conducted without a blow-by-blow description of the moves on each side and a subsequent public dissection of the meaning of the moves.

“That will be our approach, at least for the time being, until there is something of significance to report, or unless management uses the media or industry surrogates to try to influence the narrative.”

The news came after WGA negotiators met Carol Lombardini, president of the AMPTP,  which represents major studios and streamers including Amazon, Apple, Disney, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount, Sony and Warner Bros. Discovery.

That sparked hope that formal talks could resume, although there remains little sign that the sides are nearing agreement on major issues such as minimum staffing levels of writers rooms and residual payment models.

The WGA previously claimed that the AMPTP was “not willing to engage” on either topic.

Regulation of AI is also a key concern, while WGA members’ solidarity with actors striking as part of SAG-AFTRA could mean that a strike will continue until both unions have agreed deals with the US studios, potentially extending the stand-off.

The WGA has been on strike since 2 May, with actor’s union SAG-AFTRA also halting work last month, bringing Hollywood productions to a standstill.