'Informal' is normal, even in strike talks

January 29, 2008 Hollywood is populated by executives lacking close acquaintance with starched collars or neckties, so perhaps it's no surprise that the industry seems suddenly enamored with "informal" contract talks. The WGA announced Jan. 18 that its leaders would hold informal talks with studio execs about how to get back to formal negotiations, an approach mimicking one taken previously to good effect by the DGA. The previous day, the directors announced a tentative three-year pact hammered out in just six days of formal bargaining, but those DGA negotiations were preceded by weeks of informal, off-the-record discussions over how to approach actual collective bargaining.

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