The Writers Guild of America, which represents more than 11,000 television and film writers, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which negotiates with studios, have not held talks in three weeks. Last month, the studios embellished their offer – and then, in an unusual move, publicly released the details in the hope that rank-and-file guild members would be pleased and pressure their leaders to make a deal.
“That was the company’s plan from the beginning – not to negotiate, but to block us,” the guild leaders said shortly afterwards. “It’s their only strategy – betting that we’ll attack each other.”
Union leaders have since insisted that it is the studios’ responsibility to further improve their offering. The studios have rejected this request, but many Writers Guild members, including many showrunners, support this position. On Tuesday in Los Angeles, writers including Alexi Hawley (“The Rookie”) and Scott Gimple (“The Walking Dead”) helped organize a well-attended “Showrunner Solidarity Day” vigil at Fox Studios.
“I don’t think anyone is really questioning and looking for ways to disrupt the leadership of the guild,” said Steve Levitan, whose credits include “Just Shoot Me!” and “Modern Family,” a reporter from an entertainment magazine said at the event. “We’re just always trying to figure out if there’s any way someone can help.”
Behind the scenes, however, frustration is growing among the elite members of the Writers Guild.
Ryan Murphy, the writer and producer of television hits such as “American Horror Story” and “9-1-1,” recently had a heated conversation about the strike with Chris Keyser, a senior Writers Guild official, according to two people close to him . Murphy, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe a private discussion. Mr. Murphy set up a financial aid fund for unemployed workers on his shows, providing $500,000 as a starting amount. Within days, he received $10 million in applications, the people said.
Source : www.nytimes.com