The WGA released its requirement template prior to negotiating with the AMPTP.
It comes after the union asked members to vote on it before talks start on March 20 and their contract expires on May 1.
The demands were divided into three main categories: remuneration and residual payments, pension schemes and health insurance, and professional standards and protections in the employment of writers.
Most of the issues are expected, including higher minimum rates, the issuance of mini-rooms, increased balances and higher contributions to his pension fund.
However, some of them are somewhat unexpected for the industry as a whole, including addressing the issue of AI that has come to the fore with the rise of services like ChatGPT, as well as applying minimums to late-night shows across streaming services .
Authors have until March 7th to vote.
Compensation and Residuals
– Significantly increased minimum remuneration to counteract the devaluation of writing in all areas of television, new media and features
– Standardized remuneration and remaining terms for feature films, whether in cinemas or via streaming
– Address the abuse of mini-spaces
– Ensure proper television series writing compensation throughout the process of pre-production, production and post-production
– Expand span protection to cover all TV authors
– Apply the MBA minimum to comedy-variety programs designed for new media
– Increased backlogs for undercompensated reuse markets
– Restriction on the free use of excerpts
pension plan and health fund
– Increase contributions to the pension fund and health insurance fund
Professional standards and protections in the employment of writers
– For feature contracts where the compensation falls below a certain threshold, require weekly payment of compensation and at least two steps
– More regulation of options and exclusivity in television writer employment contracts
– Regulate the use of material made with artificial intelligence or similar technologies
– Take action to combat discrimination and harassment and promote equal pay
– Revision and expansion of all referee lists
It is indeed very similar to the pattern of demands made by the WGA three years ago, which was also set out in the same three areas.
In 2020, the guild sought to increase minimum earnings across all disciplines, expand tailored new media programs subject to MBA minimums, address issues for writing teams and pay inequities, improve protections against unpaid work, and improve residuals for reuse markets.