The Writers Guild of America has fired back at Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass after she expressed strong support for a settlement in the waylaid Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
Bass joined other state and local Democratic officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, in expressing support for a settlement of the antitrust lawsuit filed against the $110 billion deal. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is leading the action taken by 12 states as well as the WGA, has indicated no willingness to engage in settlement talks. That’s not surprising given the series of legal wins he has notched in the case over the past several weeks, including the setting of the trial date for next March.
“We are disappointed that Mayor Bass has chosen to join Paramount’s pressure campaign on public enforcers, to push through a merger that is being rightfully challenged as illegal and will lead to job losses in the entertainment industry,” the WGA asserted. “Her statement comes on the heels of a county report estimating thousands of jobs will be lost if the merger proceeds.”
Bass made the comments earlier Thursday during a press conference. Appearing with members of her administration, she said, “While there are varying perspectives on the proposed transaction, today we are united around one clear message: It is time for all parties to come to the table. The continued uncertainty is not good for workers, it’s not good for production, and it’s not good for the future of this industry. Too many productions in L.A. are now at a standstill, which means Angelenos are out of a job and they’re not getting paid. As mayor, I cannot stand by and watch as the job security of thousands of hard-working union members is put at risk.”
Paramount CEO David Ellison and other members of his management team have been actively looking at options to move the company out of its longtime home in L.A. Bass spoke up the day after participating in a mayoral debate which lacked any significant discussion of the entertainment business or the pending Paramount-WBD transaction. Also on Wednesday, a report submitted to the L.A. County Board of Supervisors projected that the merger would result in the loss of thousands of jobs. Paramount has promised investors it will deliver $6 billion in cost savings related to the merger, but executives have insisted that layoffs will not be a key method of reaching that target.
“Industry workers deserve a mayor who believes in upholding the law and protecting the working people of Los Angeles, not serving the interests of powerful corporations,” the WGA statement continued. “Paramount has created a false choice for entertainment industry workers: The company argues that enforcing antitrust law hurts us by creating uncertainty, which is of their own making as the company attempts to dominate the industry. We reject the claim that beleaguered industry workers must choose the possibility of a job today, in exchange for the certainty of job losses tomorrow.”
Bass, reading from prepared comments, insisted her statement is “not about taking sides – this is about fighting for Los Angeles, standing up for our union workers, keeping Paramount here and protecting the future of this industry.”
A settlement, Bass added, must include “meaningful and enforceable commitments” to keep Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery in L.A. as well as maintaining jobs, productions and investments in L.A. and in California.”
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