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The Writers Guild of America has announced a six-day delay in implementing stricter rules for Hollywood agents to temporarily avoid a potentially chaotic scenario that has puzzled the industry in recent days.
The WGA announced in a message to the members at 21:26. Pacific Time, Saturday, that he would wait until 1:01 pm on April 13 to implement his new "Code of Conduct." The rules – which would force WGA members to fire their agents if they had not signed the code – would have come into effect. Perform a few hours later at 12:01 pm Sunday.
The move comes after a three-hour meeting between guild leaders and talented agents on Saturday afternoon, according to the WGA bargaining committee. The meeting at WGA West's headquarters in Los Angeles had been held secret and many were caught off guard by the announcement of the delay in implementing the WGA code. Neither of the two sides disclosed details of the apparent tradeoffs.
WGA West Executive Director David Young, hosts David Shore and Mike Schur and screenwriter Michelle Mulroney bounced the WGA. Rick Rosen of WME, CAA Bryan Heavy, James Gosnell of APA and Karen Stuart, Executive Director of the Association of Talent Agencies, have revived the agencies. Gosnell is president of the ATA.
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"We had a frank and open conversation and, for the first time, agencies recognized the magnitude of the problem caused by their behavior," the WGA committee said. "At this meeting, they asked us to postpone the application of the Code until the end of the day of Friday, April 12, so that they can submit proposals to solve these problems and to reach a settlement. "
The Code of Conduct, which was overwhelmingly approved by WGA members at the end of March, requires agencies to agree to eliminate TV packaging fees and property rights. in production companies. The WGA asserted that these practices constituted inherent conflicts of interest and repeatedly threatened to sue CAA, WME, UTA and the ICM partners.
Saturday's meeting between the two parties took place after seven formal negotiating sessions between February 5 and March 26 were largely fruitless. The WGA and ATA have shown virtually no inclination to compromise. Saturday's session, however, convinced the WGA leaders, while in Hollywood there was growing concern that the spills of agents would cause widespread unrest.
"In a sincere effort to reach an agreement, we have accepted this request," said the committee. "In doing so, we are committed to you – and the wording of your authorization – to use our best judgment to determine the right time to leave. But Friday at midnight, what the agencies themselves have proposed, is a real delay. Unless otherwise agreed, the WGAW Board of Directors and the WGAE Board voted to have the Code of Conduct come into effect on Saturday, April 13th at 12:01 am. From then on, diplomacy can continue alongside powerful collective action. "
The committee also noted that agents should have started to make significant compromises on their positions instead of waiting until Saturday.
"All this could have happened last week," said the panel. "Instead, the real negotiations are starting now, as always, with a stopwatch. It's your power – the power of the members – and your willingness to use it – which have brought us so far. Conflicting practices and misaligned financial incentives have for too long undermined our relationships with our representatives. We sincerely hope that the agencies will now become our true partners as part of a joint effort to significantly address both. "
Stuart said in a message to his members Saturday night that the agents had started an informal meeting Friday with the WGA to discuss a way forward and a process to move the negotiations forward.
"Today, a small group of ATA and WGA representatives have been meeting for several hours on a wide range of issues of importance to editors and agents," she added. . "Tonight, we have mutually agreed to extend the termination of our existing agreement until Friday, April 12, and we are committed to meeting regularly this week as part of our ongoing efforts to reach a resolution that will serve the purpose of better the interests of your company and your customers. In the meantime, I continue to welcome your ideas and look forward to seeing you at Wednesday's membership meeting where we will keep you posted. "
A day earlier, Stuart had rejected WGA's latest proposals, saying they would give him power over agency business operations and an "unprecedented level of control" to dictate agency operations.
A year ago, the WGA formally informed ATA of its intention to reopen negotiations on the basic artist manager's agreement, which governs how agents represent members of the organization. WGA, thus creating a 12-month expiration schedule. The guild was increasingly worried about CAA, WME and UTA production movements and the potential for conflicts of interest when the same company represents the creative talent on one side of the table and is the employer of the company. 'other.
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