Writers, studios get back to bargaining

Striking writers and studios are talking again after weeks of bargaining silence. The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said in a joint statement that they would start informal discussions Wednesday aimed at full negotiations and an end to the nearly 3-month-old strike. Contract talks broke down Dec. 7 after the alliance demanded that a half-dozen issues be dropped, including calls for unionizing reality and animation shows. The guild rejected the demands. But it agreed Tuesday to withdraw the reality and animation issues to "make absolutely clear our commitment to bringing a speedy conclusion to negotiations," union executives Michael Winship and Patric Verrone said in an e-mail to members. But union organizing efforts in those genres will continue. Compensation for movie and TV projects distributed over the Internet are considered to be the central contract issues. Both sides said a media blackout would be in place during the discussions.

[Last modified January 23, 2008, 23:58:50]