The WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have set a meeting date of Friday to try to negotiate to end the ongoing strikes. “Our committee returns to the bargaining table ready to make a fair deal, knowing the unified WGA membership stands behind us and buoyed by the ongoing support of our union allies,” the WGA said in a statement.
The last time the two sides met was on August 4, but many sources say the meeting ended leaving a bad taste in everyones’ mouths.
The strike, which has lasted over a 100 days now, has surpassed the length of the 2007-2008 writer’s strike. In a little less than two months, it will become the longest strike in WGA history.
“The refusal to take writers’ reasonable proposals seriously has caused the WGA strike to last 100 days and counting; it serves only as a milestone of shame for the AMPTP,” said Chris Keyser and David Goodman, the co-chairs of the WGA’s negotiating committee, of Wednesday’s 100-day milestone. “They and their member studios are wholly responsible for the over three-month shutdown of the industry and the pain it has caused workers and all others whose livelihoods depend on this business. The cost of settling the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes is far less than the damage their intractability has caused. Ultimately, the studios have no choice but to make a fair deal. Until then, we remain resolved and united.”
There is no word yet on exactly what will be discussed in today’s meeting.