Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) has broken its silence and pushed back with its version of what it offered Writers Guild of America (WGA) negotiators on behalf of studios and streamers during the recent collapsed talks.
After the first writers strike in 15 years got underway in Los Angeles and New York on Tuesday, AMPTP issued a document issued to press on Thursday in which it said, “As we have said all along, our companies are committed to finding workable solutions to our ever-changing business for the mutual benefit of those who contribute to its success.”
The document goes over key talking points between the parties such as increased minimum pay, staffing levels, development “mini-rooms”, residuals and A.I. The WGA circulated a chart that outlined its version of The WGA has said it proposed a 6% increase in minimum rates in the first year, followed by 5% and 5% and said AMPTP countered with 4%-3%-2%.
Specifically on streaming residuals – another bone of contention in the age of streaming – AMPTP said the Guild negotiated a 46% increase in the 2020 Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA) governing employment terms which would take effect in 2022 and added that in many cases writers have only just begun to see these increases.
It also said the WGA’s proposal on foreign streaming residuals represents a 200% rise on current rates and treats international subscribers the same as US subscribers although subscription fees vary by country and are “substantially less” than US fees in many cases. The WGA says the parties are at odds in this area. The body also took issue with Guild claims that TV writers’ jobs are AMPTP, he said, rejected the Guild’s proposal AMPTP stated that A.I. raised “hard, important creative and legal questions for everyone” and wants to keep talking.
The AMPTP document appears below:
Mandatory Staffing and Duration of Employment
The WGA’s set of demands includes proposals regarding mandatory staffing and guarantees of employment. These proposals require studios staff a show by hiring a certain These proposals require studios to hire writers regardless of whether they are needed The WGA claims that this proposal is needed to “preserve We do not agree with a solution that is one size fits all The WGA’s proposals would prevent that. The WGA’s proposal would prevent that.
According to information from pension and health plans the companies’ minimum wage offer The wage increases are the largest in over 25 years. In addition, the companies have offered to create an entirely new category of rates that will establish a new and higher floor for mid-level writers’ compensation.
Streaming Residuals
In the most recent contract (2020), the WGA negotiated a 46% increase in residuals for streaming programs to take effect starting in 2022. Many writers have only just begun to see increases in their pay. According to the current formula, a writer will receive $72,000 in Over five years, this amount increases to $99,000 and then to $1 The most recent offer from the companies improves these amounts. The WGA proposal on foreign streaming is a 200% hike over Subscription fees vary by country. In many countries, they are significantly The companies have acknowledged the importance of foreign streaming, and have offered to The “Gig Economy”
The WGA says that Most television writers are hired on a weekly basis or episodically, It is not uncommon for writers who are employed to have “all episodes A staff writer who is employed for 20-24 weeks earns between $9 Writer-producers, the largest category of TV writers, These figures assume that the writer is being paid at scale. However, Writers earn more than $28,000 for a half-hour Writers earn more than $28,000 per half-hour and $4 Writers who work 8 weeks at current weekly rates, or who (A writer can qualify for the new offer of outsized wage increases )
* Paid Parental Leave Benefit: Any writer who qualifies for health benefits is also entitled to a paid parental leave benefit.[e]AI
We’re creative companies and we value the work of creatives. The best stories are often original, insightful, and based on the AI raises important, hard questions in terms of creativity and law for everyone. Writers, for example, want to be able use this technology in their creative process without changing the way credits are determined. This is difficult because AI material cannot be copyrighted. We’re committed to having a lot of discussion about this. It’s also important to note that under the current WGA Agreement, a “writer”, is defined to exclude “corporate or impersonal purveyors” of literary materials. This means that only “persons” can be considered writers and enjoy the Terms and Conditions of the Basic Agreement. For example, AI-generated material would not be eligible for writing credit.
Script Fees for Staff Writers
The WGA makes light of the fact that the parties have a tentative agreement to pay staff writers script fees on top of their regular weekly compensation. The WGA has been pursuing this proposal for decades. The companies’ agreement to the WGA’s proposal means that a staff writer who writes an episode of a one-hour series will be paid an additional $42,000, which is the equivalent of 8 weeks of pay at the weekly rate and, by itself, enough to qualify for one year of health coverage and paid parental leave benefits.
Development Rooms
In response to the WGA’s concerns about development rooms, the companies agreed to introduce an entirely new payment structure for writers employed before a firm commitment has been made to produce a series. This offer included substantially higher minimum rates for those who work in development rooms. (From $10,798 per week to $11,554 in the first year). In addition, the companies agreed to pay writers employed before a firm commitment has been made to produce the series a 15% premium on script fees and increase fees for a pilot script by 50% for high budget SVOD series.
Non-Dramatic Programs (Appendix A)
The companies’ offer to establish a minimum weekly rate for comedy-variety programs made for SVOD is unprecedented. The companies’ offer to establish a weekly minimum rate for comedy-variety programs made for SVOD is unprecedented.
