Directors Guild and Studios Agree to Media Blackout for Negotiations as Writers' Strike Continues
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike for just over a week following breakdown in negotiation between the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), but they aren't the only entertainment union negotiating with AMPTP. The Directors Guild of America (DGA) met with the AMPTP on Wednesday for their first day of collective bargaining, and both sides have announced a joint media blackout during proceedings.
According to Variety, the DGA and the AMPTP are met at the latter's headquarters in Sherman Oaks to present proposals which includes dealing with matters such as an increase in international streaming residuals and an increase in scale minimums to account for inflation. The agreement for a joint media blackout is different than what took place during negotiations between the WGA and the AMPTP, which never had a formal blackout agreement.
And it isn't just the DGA that is in negotiations with AMPTP — or at least will be soon. SAG-AFTRA is also set to begin negotiations on June 7th as their contract, along with that of the DGA, expires on June 30th. The WGA contract expired at the end of April.
Why is the WGA striking?
"Though we negotiated intent on making a fair deal — and though your strike vote gave us the leverage to make some gains — the studios' responses to our proposals have been wholly insufficient, given the existential crisis writers are facing," the WGA said in a statement on May 1st. "We must now exert the maximum leverage possible to get a fair contract by withholding our labor."
The statement continued: "The WGA Negotiating Committee began this process intent on making a fair deal, but the studios' responses have been wholly insufficient given the existential crisis writers are facing. The companies' behavior has created a gig economy inside a union workforce, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing. From their refusal to guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic television, to the creation of a 'day rate' in comedy variety, to their stonewalling on free work for screenwriters and on AI for all writers, they have closed the door on their labor force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession. No such deal could ever be contemplated by this membership."