Writers relent on 2 key demands

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-strike23jan23,1,6432098.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-business&ctrack=1&cset=true

By Richard Verrier and Claudia Eller, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
January 23, 2008

Hollywood's striking writers, signaling a possible thaw in the 3-month-old labor dispute, have agreed to drop two demands that studios have long viewed as non-starters.

Leaders of the Writers Guild of America told top studio chiefs during a meeting Tuesday that they would ditch previous proposals to unionize writers who work on animated movies and reality TV shows.

That marks a switch from last month, when writers balked at studio demands to take those and other proposals off the table as a condition for continuing talks on the core issue: how much writers should earn when their work is delivered over the Internet, cellphones and other new-media devices.

Securing the union's jurisdiction in the burgeoning reality TV sector has been a priority for Patric M. Verrone, president of the Writers Guild of America, West. Verrone and other guild officials declined to comment. But in a letter to members, Verrone and Michael Winship, president of the guild's East Coast wing, said they made the decision in hopes of "bringing a speedy conclusion to negotiations."

The guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the major studios in negotiations, said in a joint statement that they would meet again today to determine whether there is enough common ground to resume formal negotiations.

In what appears to be an effort to defuse tension, the union urged members to "exercise restraint in their public statements." Previous negotiations had been marred by vitriolic rhetoric on both sides. Picketing continues, but at a scaled-back level.

FULL story at link.

[wtmusic]

1. Alright time for some reciprocation

No internet royalties for writers on animated movies? (ABC/Disney must be happy).

[HeraldSquare212]

2. Now that the Directors have a new contract, the writers are pretty much toast.

They were counting on support from the Directors and Actors. The actors contract isn't up till June 30th; I don't see the writers staying out that long.