WGA Contract Talks May Go Through the Weekend

Negotiations on a new Writers Guild of America contract could go through the weekend, as the sides continue to trade proposals ahead of the Monday deadline.

The WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and may hold a session on Saturday, according to a source close to the situation. Given the looming deadline and prospect of a strike grinding Hollywood production activity to a halt, its no surprise that the guild and AMPTP representatives would look to work through the weekend in the hopes of avoiding industry-wide disruption.

Another source close to the situation emphasized that nothing has been formally scheduled, and may not be until Friday.

The WGA contract expires at midnight (Pacific Standard Time) on Monday, and a strike could begin as soon as Tuesday. The guild has advised that if a strike is called, talk shows such as The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Jimmy Kimmel Live and Real Time with Bill Maher would be shut down immediately.

On the studio side, strike preparations are well underway. Several broadcast shows are wrapping production this week, as they set their schedules knowing well in advance that a strike was a possibility.

So far, no scripted shows have pulled permits to film on location in Los Angeles next week. Typically such permits would have been pulled by Wednesday, according to FilmLA, which oversees the permitting system. It appears that productions are holding off in anticipation of a strike. FilmLA previously reported that location shooting fell 24% in the first three months of 2023, compared to the same period a year ago.

On Tuesday, the guild advised members that if a strike is called, they will not be allowed to perform writing services, pitch, hold general meetings, or have their agents work on deals. Showrunners and other hyphenates are allowed to work during a strike, so long as they do not perform writing services.

Last week, the guild announced that 97.85% of voting members approved a strike authorization, giving the leadership the power to call a strike if no deal is reached.

In a memo to investors on April 19, the WGA stated that if theres no agreement on May 1, a work stoppage will begin the next day and writing for television, feature films, and streaming series will cease.

However, the guild does not have to call a strike immediately. In 2007, the writers strike did not begin until Nov. 5, five days after the expiration of the contract. Negotiations continued during that interim period, including a lengthy Sunday session with a federal mediator.

Negotiations between the WGA and AMPTP typically go down to the wire, as the guild tends to see the final hours as its moment of maximum leverage. In 2017, the two sides reached a deal shortly after midnight as the contract expired.

(Cynthia Littleton contributed to this report.)