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U.S. & World

Jan 22, 2008 1:00 pm US/Mountain

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Writers To Drop Key Unionization Demand

Guild Votes Down Picket Of Grammy Awards

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― The Hollywood writers guild said Tuesday it will begin informal talks with studios after agreeing to drop proposals to unionize reality and animation shows that had contributed to a negotiations impasse.

The talks between officials of the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers will begin Wednesday and will be aimed at a resumption of full negotiations, both sides said in statements.

Bargaining broke down Dec. 7 after the studios demanded that the union drop a half-dozen issues, including jurisdiction over reality and animation.

The guild agreed to withdraw those issues to "make absolutely clear our commitment to bringing a speedy conclusion to negotiations," union executives Michael Winship and Patric Verrone said in an e-mail letter to members.

Still, organizing efforts for guild representation in those areas will continue and will be discussed more fully in the next two weeks, said Winship and Verrone, presidents of the East Coast and West Coast guilds, respectively.

In a brief statement, the studio alliance said the informal talks would determine if "there is a basis for both parties to return to formal negotiations."

Both sides said a media blackout would be in place during the discussions.

Compensation for movie and TV projects distributed over Internet is considered to be the central contract issue.

On Tuesday, guild leaders met with studio chiefs to help get the negotiations back on track, according to a person familiar with the bargaining strategy who was not authorized to publicly comment and asked for anonymity.

The approach mirrored a series of meetings held by the Directors Guild of America and studio heads before they began formal talks and reached a tentative deal last week after less than a week of bargaining.

Also Tuesday, in an apparent goodwill gesture, the guild said it had decided against picketing the upcoming Grammy Awards.

The writers strike that started Nov. 5 has shut down production of most scripted TV shows, disrupted movie filming schedules and turned the Golden Globes ceremony into a half-hour newscast after actors said they would not cross threatened picket lines by writers.

The announcement on the start of informal talks came on the same day Oscar nominees were announced.

The Academy Awards ceremony on Feb. 24 could face guild pickets and boycotts by actors who support striking writers.

When the directors guild announced its deal with the alliance last week, studio heads urged the writers to join informal talks that could lead to the resumption of their negotiations.

In its deal with producers, the directors union addressed new-media compensation issues that are also key to the writers guild dispute, including compensation for movie and TV projects delivered over the Internet.

The studio executives said the deal established a precedent for the industry's creative talent to "participate financially in every emerging area of new media."

Debate was building among guild members over whether the directors' proposed deal created an acceptable model for an agreement for the writers union.

A letter circulated online among writers and addressed to guild officials called on the union to "disregard outside pressures and negotiate the best possible terms on behalf of every member of the Writers Guild of America."

Those in agreement were asked to attach their name to the letter and pass it on to colleagues. A copy of the message was to be delivered Tuesday to the guild board and its negotiating committee.

Writer-producer John Wells, whose credits include "ER" and "The West Wing," said in a letter posted online last week that the deal by directors was good for them as well as writers.

The directors won several key points, including union jurisdiction over programs produced for distribution on the Internet and payments for downloaded TV programs and movies based on a percentage of the distributor's gross.

But the writers guild was seeking 2.5 percent of such grosses — about three times what the directors' deal provides.

Interim deals made by the writers guild with several individual production companies provide 2 percent compensation on downloaded films and 2.5 percent on TV programs, the guild has said.