Schwarzenegger moves backstage in writers strike

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After weeks of overseeing efforts to fight raging fires and an oil spill, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is weighing in on another potential disaster -- the screenwriters strike against film and TV studios.

The action movie star turned politician met with leaders of the Writers Guild of America and was reaching out by telephone to a number of studio executives, Aaron McLear, a spokesman for the governor, told Reuters.

"The governor is very interested in getting this strike ended as quickly as possible," McLear said as the labor action entered its ninth day with little discernible progress in getting the two sides back to the bargaining table.

McLear declined to specify who the governor was speaking with or the substance of the discussions, but the Los Angeles Times reported that WGA West president Patric Verrone and chief negotiator David Young were in Monday's meeting.

Even as the governor sought to nudge the two sides together, the finger-pointing and posturing continued as the lead negotiator for the studios, Nick Counter, issued a statement accusing the WGA of using "fear and intimidation to control its membership" and of creating its own "blacklist."

Counter seized on reports of a Writers Guild executive having issued a notice reminding union members of strike rules requiring them to inform the guild of anyone they suspect of "strike-breaking activity or other scab writing."

There was no immediate response to Counter's statement from the guild.

The strike began on November 5 after three months of contentious talks on a new contract for 12,000 WGA members collapsed, shattering 20 years of Hollywood labor peace.