Dec 16, 2007 9:22 pm US/Pacific
Writers Propose Independent Deals
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
Writers Guild of America officials will try to reach working agreements with individual production companies, a shift in strategy that could result in new installments some of late-night talk shows.
Because the "Late Show with David Letterman" and "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" are produced by the independent production company Worldwide Pants, they are able to reach an interim agreement with the WGA, independent of CBS.
"Since the beginning of the strike, we have expressed our willingness to sign an interim agreement with the guild consistent with its positions in this dispute," Worldwide Pants President and Chief Executive Officer Rob Burnett said.
"We're happy that the guild has now adopted an approach that might make this possible. It is our strong desire to be back on the air with our writers and we hope that will happen as soon as possible."
Jon Stewart, the host of "The Daily Show" on cable's Comedy Central has also been urging an interim agreement and would start working toward getting one in place tomorrow morning, a representative told The New York Times.
The Times reported that Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien may return to the air as early as Jan. 2 without their union writers.
Reruns of late-night shows began airing when the strike started November 5.
The guild's negotiating committee sent an e-mail to its members Saturday saying that it would take the required steps tomorrow to negotiate individually with studios and networks, as it is entitled to under labor law.
The WGA committee statement said the "internal dynamics" of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios and networks, "make it difficult for the conglomerates to reach consensus and negotiate with us on a give and take basis."
"We believe this multi-employer structure inhibits individual companies from pursuing their self-interest in negotiations," the statement said.
Jesse Hiestand, a spokesman for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios and networks, called the guild's new approach, "merely the latest indication that the WGA organizers are grasping for straws and have never had a coherent strategy for engaging in serious negotiations."
"The AMPTP may have different companies with different assets in different businesses, but they are all unified in one common goal -- to reach an agreement with writers that positions everyone in our industry for success in a rapidly changing marketplace," Hiestand said.
On Thursday, the WGA filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, claiming that by breaking off talks, the studio heads and producers have refused to bargain in good faith.
Producers said the move was an act of desperation.
"The WGA's filing of a complaint with the NLRB reminds us of the old lawyers' adage: When the facts are on your side, argue the facts. When the law is on your side, argue the law. And when you don't have either the law or the facts on your side, you pound the table," the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said in a statement.
Negotiations ended on December 7 over the guild's demand to extend union jurisdiction over so-called unscripted series and animated programs. The strike began Nov. 5 over a dispute focusing on residual payments to writers for work distributed via the Internet, video iPods, cellphones and other new media.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
