It is getting uglier by the day: the WGA has filed an unfair labor practices complaint claiming studios and AMPTP violated federal law by breaking off negotiations...it said that producers alliance should return to the bargaining so the six-week strike can be ended and thousands of workers idled by the walkout can return to their jobs, reports AP. The alliance said the charge is baseless.

WGA filed with the National Labor Relations Board, after the talks with studios broke off on Dec. 7. The studios wanted the writers to reduce demands for Web revenue and take its bid to represent reality show and animation writers off the table. Bloomberg: The NLRB has 30 days to determine whether the guild’s charges are valid. If the board sides with the writers, it will issue a formal complaint and schedule a hearing before an administrative law judge.

Meanwhile, Directors Guild of America said it may open its own contract negotiations with studios next month, a move that’s expected to put more pressure on writers to reach an agreement. A quick deal by directors could undercut the bargaining power of writers by serving as an industry template for new media and other issues, the AP story says.