Writers enter tense contract negotiations with Hollywood studios

© (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles headquarters of the Writers Guild of America West. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

The Writers Guild of America is set to kick off negotiations with Hollywood studios Monday, as both sides brace for what is expected to be a difficult bargaining session.

CONSTELLATION BRANDS, INC.

Negotiations to secure a new three-year contract are scheduled to begin Monday morning at the Sherman Oaks headquarters of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the body that represents studios including Walt Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Amazon. The talks are expected to last two weeks.

The meeting follows an exchange of bargaining proposals between the two sides last week. They have until May 1 to agree on a new film and TV contract.

The talks are being closely watched as many in Hollywood fear that this year's contract renegotiation could lead to a strike. Writers argue that the rise of streaming has eroded their ability to make a living. At the same time, studios have been going through a retrenchment, with cutbacks and layoffs as streaming subscriber numbers have disappointed.

"The economic challenges facing writers are deepening and becoming existential,'' Chris Keyser, who is co-chair of the negotiating committee, told the The Times last week.

The union highlighted the erosion of writer pay over the last decade in a report last week that found half of all TV series writers were paid the basic minimum rate, up from 33% in 2013-14.

The WGA's bargaining goals include: increasing minimum compensation across the board and higher residuals payments, especially in streaming as well as increased contributions to the union's health and pension plan.

With the trend toward shorter seasons, the union wants stronger protections for writers who work longer periods of time on a small number of episodes.

The AMPTP said in a statement that it was approaching the negotiation with the long term health and stability of the industry as its priority. "We are all partners in charting the future of our business together and fully committed to reaching a mutually beneficial deal with each of our bargaining partners," the group said in a statement. "The goal is to keep production active so that all of us can continue working and continue to deliver to consumers the best entertainment product available in the world."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.