Mediation Needed in the Hollywood Strike

Hollywood has been at a near standstill since July 13 when the Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG/AFTRA) union joined the Writers Guild of America (WGA) on the picket lines.

You may recall that members of the WGA originally went on strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on May 2, when negotiations over working conditions on streaming productions, compensation, better insurance coverage and residuals for union members, and protections against the use of A.I. failed.

Most recently, the AMPTP brought forth a compromise, one they believed was fair but which the WGA felt had far too many loopholes, omissions, and limitations. They believed the meeting was not setup in good faith and was only conducted to push the union to cave. It’s nearly four months in, and neither side is willing to compromise.

This is the perfect time for mediation.

Why meditation?

Mediation is effective in its ability to resolve disputes. By merging ideas through an independent third party, both sides can be heard and work together to find a respectable resolution.

Benefits of mediation

Save time. Mediation can often be handled in hours, if not days. Many people and businesses that are not part of these unions, such as food services, equipment rentals, artists, hair stylists, lighting technicians, and camera operators to name a few, are also being adversely affected by these strikes. Mediation could help bring a swift end to a strike that has no end in sight.

Improve communication. Mediators are not there to decide right from wrong. They are trained to find a solution that benefits both sides. With the WGA and the AMPTP, one side seems to be looking to gain all benefits without giving any to the other side. Choosing mediation would allow a mediator to facilitate an honest discussion and weed through all the noise, avoiding a win-lose or lose-lose situation.

Agreements that close legal loopholes. A mediator can help guarantee there are no legal loopholes or omissions during negotiations, helping both parties feel they are being protected.

Preserve working relationships. Negotiations can lead to sour grapes between people and businesses that were once cordial and friendly. Mediation helps both parties come away from a contentious negotiation with renewed respect for one another. In the case of the WGA, SAG/AFTRA, and the AMPTP, this could help create a path forward for good faith contract negotiations moving forward.

Why haven’t they already tried mediation?

If one side isn’t willing to reach a compromise, there really is no point. And no person or business can be forced into mediation. So, unless the WGA and AMPTP both agree to find a compromise, mediation wouldn’t work properly.

However, with a near 75% success rate, the WGA, SAG/AFTRA, and the AMPTP would gain substantial ground in their negotiations by agreeing that mediation was the best path forward to getting everyone, union and otherwise, back to work.

Tags: actors, Business, hollywood, mitigation, sag-aftra, strike, strikes, union, wga, writers
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