WGA STRIKE CENTRAL
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have gone on strike, after failing to reach an agreement before their contract expired at midnight yesterday. The strike was announced after a WGA members meeting in LA last night.
The two sides had broken off talks six hours before the contract deadline. The WGA issued a statement regarding contract negotiations: "Today, just hours before the expiration of our contract, the AMPTP brought negotiations to a halt. The Companies refused to continue to bargain unless we agree that the hated DVD formula be extended to Internet downloads. This morning we presented the AMPTP with a comprehensive package of proposals that included movement on DVDs, new media, and jurisdictional issues. We also took nine proposals off the table. The Companies returned six hours later and said they would not respond to our package until we capitulated to their Internet demand. After three and a half months of bargaining, the AMPTP still has not responded to a single one of our important proposals. Every issue that matters to writers, including Internet reuse, original writing for new media, DVDs, and jurisdiction, has been ignored. This is completely unacceptable."
