Writer's Guild Of America Goes On Strike For First Time In 15 Years, Hollywood Grinds To A Crawl
Image Source: Gizmodo Australia
The Writers Guild of America kept their promise to strike if no agreement was made between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The last strike happened 15 years ago when writers sought more compensation with the arrival of new technology like DVDs and the arrival of streaming content. With the advent of streaming, writers were expected to produce more and more content, but the pay hasn't risen to match the workload. The switch to streaming also affected residual fees from reruns of television programs.
The guild announced the strike would start at 12:01 am on May 2 and claimed the studios have been unwilling to work with their writers. The WGA laid out their complaints, “The companies’ behavior has created a gig economy inside a union workforce, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing. From their refusal to guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic television, to the creation of a “day rate” in comedy variety, to their stonewalling on free work for screenwriters and on AI for all writers, they have closed the door on their labor force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession. No such deal could ever be contemplated by this membership.”
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Image Source: The Independent
Several writers took to social media to criticize Hollywood’s treatment of their writers and stand their ground on the strike. The studios have objected that the poor payment is due to rising costs and loss of income from streaming platforms dropping their subscribers. The WGA countered that streaming was used as an excuse to pay writers less for the same amount of work thus preempting any significant income loss. The strike will have an immediate effect on late-night shows and, depending on the length of the strike, may delay fall seasons of television. From the comments on social media, it’s clear the writers are not backing down. The impetus is on the studios to find a satisfying agreement that will keep both the writers and the studios gainfully employed.
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