Page 30 - aruba-today-20170503

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Wednesday 3 May 2017
Hollywood writers, producers

reach deal; strike averted

LYNN ELBER production would have felt To address that, the guild
AP Television Writer a strike’s sting more gradu- said it won additional com-
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A ten- ally. pensation for writers who
tative deal was reached Guild members voted over- spend more than 2.4 weeks
between screenwriters and whelmingly last month to working on a script.
producers Tuesday, avert- authorize a strike, and the The guild also touted first-
ing a strike that could have WGA could have called time job protection for writ-
crippled TV and film pro- for an immediate walkout ers on parental leave.
duction. Tuesday absent a deal. The agreement avoided
In this Dec. 13, 2007, file photo, striking writers walk the picket
line outside Paramount Studios in Los Angeles. The three-year agreement, The previous writers’ strike a repeat of the 2007-08
Associated Press which requires ratification extracted an estimated $2 strike, which played out in
by members of the Writ- billion toll on the state of true Hollywood style. Writ-
ers Guild of America, was California. ers took to social media to
confirmed by the guild and The producers group said make their case, entertain-
producers’ spokesman Jar- the 2007-08 strike cost writ- ingly. Stars including Julia
ryd Gonzales shortly after ers $287 million in lost com- Louis-Dreyfus and Tina Fey
the current contract ex- pensation. joined picket lines, and
pired early Tuesday. The Russ DeVol, the chief re- then-”Tonight Show” host
deal came after a flurry search officer at the Milken Jay Leno brought dough-
of last-minute bargaining, Institute, estimated a strike nuts for strikers.
conducted during a me- of similar duration would Before Tuesday’s deal was
dia blackout that offered have cost California $2.5 announced, writer-actress
no tangible details about billion today. Lena Dunham said she
whether picket lines would After the 2007-08 strike, the would back a strike this
go up until after midnight two sides reached agree- time.
Tuesday. ments in 2010 and 2013, but “I would never have had
In a memo to its members, TV writers in particular have the health coverage I had
the guild said gains were seen their earnings slide without the union, and
made across the board, since then and wanted to that’s one of the main
including contributions to claw back some of those points in this,” Dunham said
the union’s health plan that losses. at the Met Gala in New
should “ensure its solvency Driving the dispute were York City on Monday night.
for years to come” — an is- changes in how television is Actress Debra Winger said
sue that writers considered distributed, with streaming she would support any
key. platforms including Netflix reasonable job action by
The union said it also made and Amazon joining broad- the writers, but was mind-
strides in pay for series with cast and cable TV and ris- ful of the damage it would
fewer episodes per season, ing in importance. cause.
and in residuals. Members More outlets have led to “I’m thinking of all the busi-
overall will net $130 million more shows, but the TV nesses that I work with at
more over the contract’s season model is greatly Warner Bros. for several
life than they were expect- changed. Despite the fact months out of the year and
ed to accept, according that there are more series (the) restaurants, shoe re-
to the memo. than ever — 455 this sea- pair, dry cleaners,” Winger
There were no details re- son, more than double said during an interview
leased by the producers the number six years ago promoting her new film,
early Tuesday. — shows run for fewer epi- “The Lovers.” ‘’The last writ-
The agreement spares sodes than the traditional ers’ strike affected the city
the late-night shows that 22-24 episode broadcast of Los Angeles in a devas-
would immediately have series. tating way.”
gone dark without writers, Short seasons of eight, 10 At the Met Gala, CBS chair-
and allows the networks to or 12 episodes means less man and CEO Les Moonves
pursue their schedules for pay for writers whose pay- said he was guardedly opti-
the upcoming TV season ment is structured on a per- mistic that a deal would be
without interruption. Movie episode basis. reached without a strike.q