Talks Recessed in Writers Strike After Nightlong Session

A federal mediator recessed talks between the striking Writers Guild of America and Hollywood producers Tuesday after a nightlong bargaining session that apparently edged the two sides closer, but not enough to settle the 143-day-old walkout.

Despite mounting expectations that the 20 hours of nonstop negotiations would lead to settlement of the strike, which has crippled the movie and television industry, there were conflicting reports Tuesday of how much progress had been made. No one was predicting an immediate breakthrough.

The latest talks began last Saturday and the session that ended Tuesday began at 3 p.m. Monday. No new meetings were scheduled, but Floyd Wood, a district director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, said he expects to call the sides together again, perhaps as early as today.

A news blackout imposed by Wood remained in effect, and details of the four-day session remained sketchy.

Two individuals familiar with the discussions expressed some hope that the talks were leading toward a resolution of the strike. But one of the individuals said that his only reason for optimism was the mediator’s strong insistence that the sides not break off.

Wood, who was not directly involved in previous mediation attempts, at one point Monday declared a settlement deadline of midnight. But he “stopped the clock,” as the talks continued well into Tuesday morning.

Despite the claims of progress, however, others with some knowledge of the talks said no settlement appeared imminent.

Principal sticking points throughout the strike have been over residuals--payments to writers--linked to reruns of shows sold abroad or into syndication. The production companies are demanding that domestic residuals for one-hour TV shows be paid on a sliding scale depending on total sales. Currently, writers are paid fixed residuals, regardless of the number of U.S. cities in which the show is sold. The guild has expressed willingness to accept a sliding scale, at least temporarily, but only if the companies pay higher residuals for TV programs sold abroad.

The current writer’s residual for a one-hour show sold for rerun in the United States is $16,114. The producers’ earlier proposals would cut that residual in half for shows that don’t sell well, but would raise it by half for big hits.

The current foreign residual for a one-hour TV show is about $4,400. The guild’s earlier proposals would add a new annual payment of $637 for each year such a show is sold abroad.

The latest round of talks apparently forestalled threatened action by a dissident group within the Writers Guild that opposes the strike.

Dissident Unionists

Earlier this month, 21 dissident guild members filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board seeking to invalidate union rules that prevent them from returning to work during the strike. Some of the dissidents had said they would rely on legal precedents to resign active status in the union and return to work if no settlement were reached by Thursday.

In a statement, however, the group on Tuesday said its members wholeheartedly support the federal mediation process, and would postpone a mass meeting previously planned for Thursday until the mediated talks “are either successfully concluded or proved barren.”

A spokesman claimed that the group had received 300 letters from guild members supporting the appeal to the NLRB. The studios, which are attempting to put shows back into production despite the strike, have said they would welcome any writers who choose to return to work.

Separately, 170 writers--including such prominent names as Michael Mann (“Miami Vice”), Gary David Goldberg (“Family Ties”), and William Goldman (“The Princess Bride”)--signed an advertisement scheduled for today’s Hollywood trade papers supporting the guild and taking issue with the dissidents’ claim to represent the guild’s regularly working writers. Some of those who signed, including Mann and Goldberg, also are producers.

Meanwhile, mediator Wood denied reports that he had threatened to levy fines against the producers for failing to bargain in good faith. He said he has no authority to levy fines.

Picketing Scheduled

A guild spokeswoman said the union planned to proceed with picketing this morning at Aaron Spelling Productions in Hollywood and at the Burbank Studios, where Columbia Pictures and Warner Bros. are headquartered.

The strike has brought a virtual halt to TV production, which normally employs at least 20,000 actors and crew members during the summer months.