WGA-Agents Conflict: No End in Sight, Pivotal Elections Approach

As the stalemate between the Writers Guild of America and the Association of Talent Agents stretches deeper into the summer months, bubbling frustrations and widespread uncertainty loom larger than ever: How long will it take for a resolution? What does a “win” look like for both sides? In June, WGA leadership rejected the latest offer the guild received from the ATA and instead embarked on a new strategy to negotiate face-to-face deals with individual agencies, with varying success. Since then, the WGA has brought litigation against the top four agencies, with each in return filing lawsuits against the WGA. According to an insider familiar with the negotiations, both sides have remained firm, without even a glimmer of hope for a return to the negotiating table to resolve the months-long dispute. “I’ve been in a lot of meetings in the past few weeks and there’s not even talk of, ‘Oh so-and-so is talking to this person behind closed doors,'” the individual said. “That’s how these disputes get resolved a lot of the time. But there’s no back-room secret discussions going on. At this point, there’s no talk of getting back to negotiating. There’s no magic solution on the horizon. But that...