US film and television writers launch their struggle

According to Variety, a number of “back-channel efforts to stave off the strike culminated” in the Sunday talks. Federal mediator Juan Carlos Gonzalez, who joined the negotiations one week ago, brought both sides together after the WGA officially announced Friday that it was calling a strike.

“Several CEOs were believed to be pushing to jump-start the bargaining process—CBS topper Les Moonves, Disney’s Robert Iger, Fox’s Peter Chernin and Warner Bros. Barry Meyer—but none were among the 25 or so attendees at Sunday’s session.” In the end, nothing came of the last-minute talks.

Pickets set up lines in New York City Monday morning in Rockefeller Plaza, near NBC and other television network headquarters. Picket lines were set up outside at least 15 locations—film studios and television networks—in the Los Angeles area. Numerous actors, directors and producers joined picket lines in support of the writers.