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Film and television writers have gone on strike for the first time in 15 years. The strike started at 12:01 pm on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, after failed negotiations with several popular streaming services over better working conditions and pay. The news has left many wondering about its consequences for the industry.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced the news on their official Twitter account, @WGAWest, stating:
"The Board of Directors of the @WGAwest and the Council of the @WGAeast, acting upon the authority granted to them by their memberships, have voted unanimously to call a strike, effective 12:01 AM, Tuesday, May 2."
The WGA added that the decision was based on six weeks of negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), an umbrella collective of over 350 film studios and production companies. The talks were focused on streaming-based ventures like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime.
With streaming services becoming a dominating force in the film and television industry, writers have been asking for better pay and a greater share of profits (or residuals) from such platforms.
According to the guild, the studio's responses were "wholly insufficient given the existential crisis writers are facing." They added that picketing was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
Demands explored as strike receives unanimous support from members
The strike could have a significant impact on the television and film sector, as WGA, boasting over 11,000 members, make up a considerable portion of the industry.
Writers earn residuals, from both broadcast and streaming. However, the broadcast follows a "reward-for-success" model where they can earn more residuals if a show is a hit. Streaming platforms, on the other hand, pay a set amount to writers regardless of the show or film being a hit.
This makes up a key argument by the WGA, which explains that success is not factored in by streaming platforms, and as a result, writers' labor is not recognized, leading to stagnating wages. Additionally, shorter seasons, frequently dropping old shows, and a general decrease in focus on labor has also affected their remuneration.
The guild remarked that several studios have recently started replacing pilot episodes - which help gauge a show's potential before it is given a green light - with mini rooms. Mini rooms are condensed versions of writers' rooms, where writers pitch, brainstorm, and refine ideas and scripts for a show.
In addition to better pay, the strike is also demanding regulations to curb the use of artificial intelligence generated content.
A whopping 97.85% of WGA members voted in favor of the strike. Here are tweets in support of the protest.
The WGA has issued several rules for its members, which include no writing, revising, pitching, or negotiating for any company with the AMPTP and compulsory picketing unless there is a medical emergency.
Late-night shows such as Jimmy Kimmel Live, Saturday Night Live, and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, which require writers to pen topical jokes for each episode, will immediately stop production. As the strike continues, any fall release shows will follow next.
However, film releases will not be affected immediately, as most studies have films in the pipeline that have been written or shot previously.
AMAPT is yet to comment on the situation.
