Writers to consider contract

After reaching the outlines of an agreement a week ago, Writers Guild of America leaders and the major studios were working Friday evening to finalize a contract that was expected to be presented to striking writers today in bicoastal membership meetings.

At the Shrine Auditorium near downtown Los Angeles and the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Manhattan, guild negotiators were scheduled to brief thousands of rank-and-file writers on details of the proposed agreement.

Their reaction could be pivotal in determining how soon the writers strike, now in its fourth month, will end.

Many writers and studio executives have been preparing for Hollywood’s return to work on Monday. But that depends on the guild’s board formally endorsing the contract at a meeting Sunday morning.

The board also is expected to vote on whether to halt the walkout immediately, effectively sending thousands of writers and production workers back to work next week.

Although any contract must ultimately be ratified by guild members, the board has the authority to call off the strike at its discretion.

Taking such action, however, is not a given.

Board members have indicated that they won’t make any decision until the final contract is completed.

Contract language was still being hashed out late Friday by the attorneys for both sides.

What’s more, hard-liners within the guild contend that some aspects fall short. The writers agreement is largely modeled on a recent pact with directors that came under fire from some high-profile WGA members, including board member and writer-director Phil Alden Robinson.

Among other things, Robinson and others have been unhappy with a 17- to 24-day window that would allow studios to stream shows on advertising-supported websites without compensating writers.

But writers did get some sweeteners. Like directors, during the first two years of their contract, writers would receive a fixed residual payment of $1,200 a year for shows streamed online. In the third year of their contract, however, they would receive something directors do not: residuals equal to 2% of the revenue received by the program’s distributor.

Writers were pushing for a variable rather than a fixed residual to assure they would share in any future growth in streaming revenue.

Writers also received something tailored specifically to their craft, so-called separated-rights provisions that provide additional pay and credit for Web programs that migrate to television or other formats.

The tentative agreement includes a doubling of the residual rate for movies and TV shows sold online and secures the union’s jurisdiction over content created specifically for the Web, above certain budget thresholds. Like directors, writers also would receive a 3.5% increase in minimum pay rates for television and film work.

Guild leaders, however, weren’t ready to end the fight just yet.

Writers Guild of America, East, said it would stage its next “big picket” on Wednesday in front of Viacom Inc.’s headquarters in New York.

“The strike is still on,” said Sherry Goldman, spokeswoman for the Writers Guild of America, East. “Should the strike eventually be lifted, we will cancel the picket.”

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richard.verrier@latimes.com

claudia.eller@latimes.com