The Association of Talent Agents on Tuesday blasted the WGA for threatening to throw “our industry into chaos,” and accused the writers guild of nonetheless not taking their negotiations significantly because the April 6 deadline for a brand new franchise settlement nears.
Today’s talks marked the perimeters’ seventh face-to-face assembly, and up to now they haven’t made any progress towards resolving two key points.
WGA members will start voting Wednesday on a brand new Agency Code of Conduct that may ban packaging charges and company affiliations with associated manufacturing entities – the 2 predominant situation within the negotiations. If no deal is reached, and the code is permitted, the guild might order its members to fireside any agent that refuses to signal.
The ATA, nevertheless, mentioned at present that “More than 100 of ATA’s member agencies – which employ thousands of agents – have informed the ATA that they will not sign the WGA’s proposed Code of Conduct.”
“Today, WGA leadership presented nothing other than their acceptance of two of ATA’s important proposals: one on inclusion and non-discrimination, and the second on the formation of a standing committee that will monitor compliance of the agreement,” the ATA mentioned after at present’s bargaining session. “Last week, (WGA West govt director) David Young laid out his three-pronged negotiating technique. He mentioned that we’re nonetheless in section two – the threatening section. It is unlucky that they haven’t moved previous this section and that they’re persevering with to maintain to their long-term technique of not having any significant negotiations till after the vote.
“We hope that WGA management will get severe about collaborating on an settlement that protects one of the best pursuits of all writers and artists. In the interim, we wish our shoppers to know:
• Writers ought to have particular person alternative when charting their very own profession paths, and we are going to proceed to combat for them.
• WGA management ought to need to interact on the 2 key problems with packaging and affiliate manufacturing. So far, they haven’t. Instead, they proceed to mislead their members with false info and horror tales.
• WGA management is saying that managers and legal professionals can stand in for brokers. They can’t – it’s towards the regulation.
• Guild management mustn’t ask businesses to supply their shoppers’ confidential info with out the consumer’s particular person consent.
• The guild’s proposal would drive their members to pay a further $49 million in commissions annually or price all artists upwards of $110 million in further commissions per yr.
• The guild’s plan would get rid of a whole lot of jobs for writers and artists by ending affiliate manufacturing entities.
• The guild’s proposal would successfully shut down company help for the unbiased movie enterprise, placing in danger greater than 200 movies per yr.”
The ATA mentioned that “When guild leadership is ready to move on from their declared threatening phase, we stand ready to work through these issues and come to an agreement. We hope this happens before WGA’s proposed plan throws our industry into chaos, disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable WGA members.”
