STRIKE NEWS

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers steadfastly has refused to budge from its final March 6 offer to the Writers Guild of America, despite guild requests that producers return to the negotiating table. The alliance’s latest move to put heat on the striking writers is to release figures showing how the seven-week-old strike has put the pinch on other Hollywood workers. The alliance continues to downplay any impact the strike has had on its members, but claims:

1,062 cast and crew members have lost an estimated $12,744,000 in salary and benefits.

210 secretaries and office staff members have lost an estimated $756,000 in salary and benefits.

207 writer-producers have lost $2,250,000 in salary and benefits, principally under TV development deals.

Total person-days lost: 45,000.

“We clearly have no way of verifying those figures--they were compiled from the 15 studios,” said guild spokeswoman Cheryl Rhoden. “But we would question whether they (the producers) have calculated into those figures the impact that the production hiatus normally happens this time of year.”