The latest from Variety says that the WGA could delay its strike for an extra week to ten days, to allow itself more time for negotiations with the AMPTP. I’m not sure whether this means we’d likely get the full week of next week’s lineup, but it’s promising that to hear that the Guild may not strike immediately.

WGA may delay strike
Guild leaders could hold off until next week
By DAVE MCNARY

As might be expected from showbiz writers, the WGA is probably going to push back its deadline.

The emerging consensus is that WGA leaders won’t start a strike until next week at the earliest — even though the town’s been fretting in recent days that scribes could walk out at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, when the current contract expires.

Both sides resumed negotiations Tuesday after a three-day break as the town became utterly enveloped by fears of a strike hitting as early as this week. Those concerns have been fanned by a variety of troubling signals — continued combative rhetoric from both sides, lack of progress at the bargaining table, battles over guild strike rules, the Teamsters’ pledge not to cross picket lines, and strike preparations by the WGA.

The companies are crying “foul” over a new flyer distributed by writers claiming that an eleventh hour rollback in pension and health fund contributions was submitted by studios. In fact, the studios and networks recently withdrew their call for major rollbacks.

The WGA’s rhetoric has aroused animosity from other guilds, who point out that the WGA has negotiated in an atmosphere of isolation. There has been zero contact with the DGA in recent weeks, insiders point out.

The WGA has given several recent indications that it’s ready to strike — staging leafleting outside studios Tuesday morning, setting a membership meeting Thursday night and telling strike captains to be ready to picket on Friday morning. But waiting a week to 10 days to go on strike has several advantages for the WGA:

• During that period, the WGA’s leverage at the bargaining table will be at its maximum since there will be an actual strike threat when negotiations take place.
• Holding off on striking immediately will be good for the WGA’s public image. The guild will seem somewhat reasonable rather than rash, especially with federal mediator Juan Carlos Gonzalez having just joined the talks Tuesday.
• A delay will give writers, many of whom have been scrambling to wrap up projects by today’s deadline, badly needed extra time to put finishing touches on feature and TV scripts.

Read the full article, including a summary of the issues, here

Keep checking back, we’ll let you know if we hear anything else.

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UPDATE: Talk of a delay has been picked up by New York magazine’s Vulture blog and Deadline Hollywood Daily, but it may not last long. According to Vulture, “What’s looking increasingly likely is that the strike will come on Monday morning.” (October 31st)

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