With negotiations a week away for its new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, the Writers Guild of America has released its pattern of demands.
On Friday, the WGA detailed multiple objectives for its upcoming minimum basic agreement with the AMPTP, which was approved by 97.4% of voting guild members, including points that address the health fund and pension plan, compensation and residuals, and professional standards and protections.
“As we prepare to negotiate a new MBA, WGA member approval of a Pattern of Demands is a constitutionally-required step in the bargaining process,” the WGA noted in a release. “While the Pattern does not detail specific proposals that will be made during negotiations, it is designed to inform the memberships of our two Guilds of general objectives we will pursue.”
In terms of the health fund and pension plan, the guild is seeking increased contributions and increased P&H contribution caps.
For compensation and residuals, the pattern of demands includes increased minimum compensation in all areas, explanded AI protections, a higher minimum for “page one” rewrites, fair compensation for writers in post-production, strengthened protections for comedy/variety, quiz and audience, and other Appendix A writers, and increased residuals for reuse in streaming.
On the professional standards and protections front, the union wants enhanced protections against free work, expanded guaranteed second step requirement for screenwriters, strengthened regulation of screen roundtables, strengthened regulation of if/come and other development deals, and improved terms for TV series employment.
With the current contract expiring on May 1, the WGA’s negotiations with the AMPTP are set to commence on March 16.
Meanwhile, the Writers Guild Staff Union said in January that 82% of its membership voted to authorize a work stoppage, accusing guild management of bad faith bargaining. The union staff organized last spring and have been negotiating their first contract with management intermittently since September.
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