Any hope that the Hollywood writers strike might resolve itself in the near future appeared to fizzle late Tuesday in a volley of bitter recrimination, with the Writers Guild of America accusing the major studios of an underhanded effort “not to bargain, but to jam us.”
The angry salvo came after Hollywood studios publicized their latest offer just as the two sides were sitting down for talks on Tuesday. In a rare move, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents the studios at the bargaining table, sent out its August 11 proposal detailing increases in compensation as well as offers concerning artificial intelligence technology.
The WGA perceived the move as a stab in the back, telling members that it amounted to a “lecture about how good their single and only counteroffer was.”
“This was the companies’ plan from the beginning – not to bargain, but to jam us. It is their only strategy — to bet that we will turn on each other,” the guild said in a message to members posted online.
“This was not a meeting to make a deal. This was a meeting to get us to cave.”
The deterioration in negotiations comes as Hollywood writers approach their fifth month of striking — the longest writers strike in decades. Writers are complaining that they are burning through their personal savings, claiming that studios are toying with them with the intent of driving them into poverty in order to gain the upper hand.
Meanwhile, Hollywood actors are nearing the second month of their concurrent strike.
On Tuesday, The West Wing actor Martin Sheen reunited with some of his costars on the picket line outside Disney in Burbank to mark the National Day of Solidarity — a pro-union celebration.
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