Some Prominent Writers Issue Call for OK of Contract

In an unusual step, some of the most prominent members of the striking Writers Guild of America publicly urged fellow writers Tuesday to reject the advice of union leaders and approve a producers’ contract offer.

The dissidents included Steven Bochco, creator of “L.A. Law,” and writer-director-producer John Hughes (“Trains, Planes and Automobiles”), and others who addressed a press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Union leaders quickly responded at their own press conference by issuing a statement of solidarity endorsed by other big-name guild members, including Michael Mann (“Miami Vice”), Lawrence Kasdan (“The Big Chill”), Norman Lear (“All in the Family”), and Walter Hill (“Red Heat”).

The exchange signaled a sharp rise in internal tensions as the 9,000-member guild prepares to vote on the producers’ latest offer at a meeting scheduled at 8 p.m. tonight at the Hollywood Palladium. Guild leaders have recommended that members reject the offer.

Separately, executives of the major networks and about 30 television producers represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers met at the alliance’s Sherman Oaks headquarters to review their position in the 16-week-old strike.

“There is a total sense of solidarity on this side. The producers and the networks are in agreement. However long it takes, we’ve got to get the issues disposed of,” said Sidney Sheinberg, president of MCA Inc., a major TV producer. Major sticking points in the strike are disputes over foreign residuals and domestic TV residuals.

Sheinberg also disputed reports that producers were planning a coordinated shutdown of their companies if the contract offer is rejected.

But he said expected individual producers to become more aggressive in protecting their “interests” following a rejection vote. “Whether that means shutting down entirely, or radically reducing staff, or courting more foreign and non-union writers, I don’t know. The one thing I don’t anticipate is to see our producers signing independent contracts (with the guild),” he said.

Brian Walton, chief negotiator for the guild, told reporters at guild headquarters that he expects several alliance-represented producers to sign separate agreements with the union if the offer is rejected.

During the dissidents’ press conference, more than a dozen prominent writers--many of whom also head production companies--argued that the producers’ latest offer scored some victories for writers, and that no major gains would come from continuing the strike.

“This is an acceptable proposal. It isn’t the greatest proposal we’ve ever seen. (But it is) certainly an adequate proposal,” said Bochco, a writer-producer.

Bochco was flanked by Hughes, Don Bellisario, Stephen J. Cannell, Bruce Paltrow, John Milius and about a dozen other movie and TV writers. Cannell’s production company is also a member of the producers’ alliance.

Also in attendence were Lionel Chetwynd and other members of the Writers Coalition, a guild splinter group that is collecting proxies for votes in support of the contract. However, Bochco, Paltrow and others carefully distanced themselves from the coalition, despite their agreement on the contact.

The guild-solicited statement of solidarity--signed by 24 prominent writers--stopped short of an explicit call to endorse the union leaders’ call for rejection. It said: “We belong to and support the Writers Guild. We are opposed to any action that would divide and weaken the guild at this difficult time.”