With both the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers sticking to quiet negotiations and avoiding potshots in the media, no news is good news. Most analysts believe that the media blackout allows both sides to settle long-standing disputes without anyone losing face.
But, the Screen Actors Guild and a sudden uprising from a prominent WGA member stirred up the peaceful labor waters like a thrashing, wounded seal eager to attract sharks.
Today, Phil Alden Robinson (director, Field of Dreams), a member of the WGA governing board, came out today strongly pushing for a rejection of any terms similar to those in the recent deal reached by the Directors Guild of America. It's widely believed that the DGA deal provided the framework for the most recent round of WGA talks.
Robinson's suddenly militant tone defied the media blackout and shook the confidence of many guild members who believe the whispering labor talks are a good sign of an approaching settlement.
Late Tuesday, news broke of a letter sent out by the Screen Actors Guild that dismissed any possibility of that guild negotiating a new deal close to the DGA's terms. That could be an early negotiating ploy by SAG as that contract also expires this spring. Or, it could be more genuine mud thrown at the DGA pact.
It's hoped that the return of AMPTP negotiator Peter Chernin Friday will settle things down again and restart the WGA's silent march toward a deal.
It's also hoped that I might find another way of reporting on this stuff without exhausting my can of alphabet soup.
