WGA: End Of The Strike?...Well, Not Quite

The weekend of February 2-3,'08, rumors were burning up the news wires that the [thus far] 12week [begun November 5, 2007] WGA strike was coming to an end. Tru'dat? Well, yes and no. An agreement with 4 independent NYC WGA members: Greene Street Films, Killer Films, Open City Films, and This is that nee Good Machine [Hollywood.com's Good Machine Movie Listings] has been reached. Jason Kliot and Joana Vicente, speaking for GreeneStreet, Open City and Killer films, credited the union with "thoughtfulness during the discussions." Co-founders Ted Hope and Anne Carey said the united action by the companies to settle "clarifies our support for and solidarity with the WGA's position." WGA East president Michael Winship called the pacts "a reaffirmation of their dedication to great writing, bold innovation and good old-fashioned, New York City street smarts" by companies that he said had helped to revitalize the motion picture industry. The latest agreements with the Writers Guild's east and west units enables the four indie producers to "resume business immediately." The announcement did not offer details of the agreements but said they were "similar" to agreements reached earlier between the WGA and 13 other film and TV production companies.

However, the strike overall has not come to an end. One of the key sticking points in the strike talks, are residuals for content used on new-media platforms. "While fully mindful of the continuing media blackout, we write you to address the rumors and reports that undoubtedly you have been hearing," WGA East president Michael Winship and WGA West president Patric Verrone said in their e-mail. "The facts: we are still in talks and do not yet have a contract," they told members.

"When and if a tentative agreement is reached, the first thing we will do is alert our membership with an e-mail message. Until then, please disregard rumors about either the existence of an agreement or its terms. Until we have reached an agreement with the AMPTP, it is essential that we continue to show our resolve, solidarity, and strength."

Writers Guild of America East
Writers Guild of America West
Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers