Writers, Studios Stop Talks Until June 1

Hollywood writers and studios again adjourned their contract negotiations, and won’t meet again until June 1.

The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers let their previous contract lapse May 2. Writers have accused studios of failing to address key issues such as boosting the amount of money writers receive for DVD sales. Other issues include bolstering the writers’ healthcare benefits and increasing the money writers receive when their works air on pay TV channels.

Studios say they don’t like a one-year pact writers are proposing, preferring a three-year deal. Despite increasing tensions, Hollywood executives and labor officials don’t expect writers to strike. Their last walkout came in 1988 in a five-month strike that cost the industry an estimated $500 million.