Writers Blast Latest Proposals from AMPTP; Talks to Continue Dec.4

Writers have rejected the latest proposal from producers, calling it a "massive rollback" and "bad deal." The two sides are set to talk again Dec. 4.

On the fourth day of closed-door negotiations both sides lifted the news blackout as the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers unveiled its proposal that would deliver more than $130 million in additional compensation to scribes over three years.

The WGA rejected the calculations and dismissed the proposal , which they called a "massive rollback" and a "bad deal."

Both sides have agreed to continue negotiations on Tuesday. They agreed that a four-day moratorium was needed for the WGA to study the offer .

The guild's reaction will undoubtedly add to the town's pessimism that time's running out for the WGA to make a deal and that the AMPTP may turn soon to negotiations with the DGA instead. AMPTP insiders were irked that the WGA initially showed scant interest in the sweetened package of new-media proposals with one noting, "The WGA is not budging."

"The AMPTP's intractability is dispiriting news but it must also be motivating," said guild presidents Patric Verrone and Michael Winship. "Any movement on the part of these multinational conglomerates has been the result of the collective action of our membership, with the support of SAG, other unions, supportive politicians, and the general public. We must fight on, returning to the lines on Monday in force to make it clear that we will not back down, that we will not accept a bad deal, and that we are all in this together."

The studios took a more measured approach and said that they would have preferred to continue talks on Friday but "we respect and understand the WGA's desire to review the proposals."

The WGA also released details of the producres' new proposal, delivered after three days of talks that offered little more than a restatement of previous positions. The three key areas:

For streaming television episodes, the companies proposed a residual structure of a single fixed payment, based on 1.2% of producers' receipts after a six-week promo window, amounting about $250 for a year's reuse of an hour-long program.
For made-for-Internet material, they offered minimums starting at $800 for five minutes up to $1,300 for 15 minutes and granted jurisdiction on derivative material.
No change in the Internet download formula, currently paid at the DVD rate.

The WGA also said it had presented on Wednesday a "comprehensive economic justification" for its proposals, asserting that its entire package would cost $151 million additional over three years.

"That's a little over a 3% increase in writer earnings each year, while company revenues are projected to grow at a rate of 10%," Verrone and Winship said. "We are falling behind."