Writers Strike Update: WGA And AMPTP To Resume Negotiations This Week

After 101 days, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have agreed to resume negotiations on Friday, Aug. 11.

The return to the negotiating table was announced Thursday, six days after the WGA and the AMPTP first sat down for an exploratory meeting about resuming talks between the writers and the studios.

"[AMPTP president] Carol Lombardini has asked the WGA Negotiating Committee to meet with AMPTP negotiators on Friday," the WGA announced in an email Thursday (per THR). "We expect the AMPTP to provide responses to WGA proposals.

When the strike first began, TVLine heard from multiple sources that the guild was steeled to go at least six months if that's what was needed to make any headway on their multiple asks.

At the center of the negotiation: An acknowledgment of, and correcting for, the way that streaming has affected the work, compensation and working conditions of writers. "Over the past decade, the companies embraced business practices that slashed our compensation and undermined our working conditions," the Writers Guild of America West wrote in a tweet. "We are asking to restore writer pay & conditions to reflect our value to this industry. The survival of our profession is at stake."

Some of the association's demands include increased residuals for reuse markets, the reduction of "mini writers rooms" that greatly diminish the size of TV writing staffs, increased contributions to pension plans and health funds, and standardized compensation and residual terms for features released either theatrically or via streaming. In addition: enacted measures to combat discrimination and harassment and promote pay equity, and a strengthened regulation of options and exclusivity in television writer employment contracts.