In a last-minute effort to avert a strike, the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers will return to the negotiation table Sunday at 10 a.m.
According to the AMPTP, the meeting was called by a federal mediator.
The meeting comes after the WGA earlier today announced at a press conference that they will hit the picket lines on Monday.
“Rather than address our members’ primary concern, the studios made it clear that they would rather shut down the town than reach a fair and reasonable deal,” WGA West president Patric M. Verrone said. “This past Wednesday, the AMPTP called a halt to talks by demanding that the Guild accept the extension of the current DVD formula to new media. This is not an action that anyone takes lightly. But it slowly became apparent that the studios are not prepared to deal fairly with writers and the rest of the talent community,”
“We are committed to seeing this through and are willing to engage in any further discussions if the studios so desire,” he added.
In response, AMPTP president Nick Counter, in a statement, said, “The WGA’s call for a strike is precipitious and irresponsible. The writer is one of our most highly regarded assets and one of our most highly rewarded. Working writers on average earn over $200,000 a year.”
“Last year alone, WGA West writers made in excess of $56 million in additional compensation from DVD residuals. It makes absolutely no sense to increase the burden of this additional compensation. Their DVD proposal would more than double the cost to Producers.”
Andrew Krukowski contributed to this report.