The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is tied up with another labor dispute against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). This began on May 2, 2023, and represents the largest disruption to film and television production across every platform since 2007.
Following a tentative agreement, union leadership voted to end the strike on September 27, 2023.
Latest Updates
On September 24, 2023, the WGA and AMPTP reached a “tentative” agreement, as officially announced by the guild.
“This was made possible by the enduring solidarity of WGA members and extraordinary support of our union siblings who stood with us for over 146 days.”
WGA
Although the language of the contract is still being finalized, the WGA did say the “deal is exceptional” which suggests favorable terms. Furthermore, the guild said that the new agreement will successfully offer “meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.”
The deal is not complete yet, as the agreement still needs to be “codified in final contract language.” WGA has yet to share the full terms of the agreement at this time. Once final, the negotiating committee will vote on whether or not to recommend the agreement and subsequently send it to the board and council for approval. Then they will vote on whether the deal is authorized.
If this happens, the board and council will vote on lifting the order to end the strike at a certain date that is yet to be determined. This would allow guild members to return to work as the vote becomes ratified.
“To be clear, no one is to return to work until specifically authorized to by the guild. We are still on strike until then. But we are, as of today, suspending WGA picketing.”
WGA
Video game voice actors may be the next group of artists set to go on strike.
Key Issues
1. Low Residuals
The main point of focus in the 2023 WGA Strike is money. Specifically, the residuals that writers receive from media put on streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, etc.
Union leaders and organizers of the WGA claim that the AMPTP’s share of these residuals substantially reduce the average income of writers compared to a decade ago. This is especially painful given the rising inflation the economy has seen recently.
2. Rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Unsurprisingly, writers and other content creators have felt extremely threatened by recent developments in AI, particularly ChatGPT. The WGA argues that ChatGPT has no place in their industry except to serve as a tool to merely research or facilitate ideas for scripts rather than serve as a full replacement.
History of the Strike
The Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA), revised on May 2, 2020, became the primary bargaining chip designed to cover most work completed by writers who are part of the WGA. This establishes a guaranteed minimum wage for film and television writers. However, it does not apply to writers who create content for streamed television, only broadcast.
This particular dilemma was discovered when writers who created content for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a broadcast program, and The Problem with Jon Stewart, a streamed program, were not paid the same. The two shows are almost identical in nature, but the writers of the latter were forced to negotiate with the streaming company for pay because the MBA did not cover them.
The most recent revision of the MBA expired just one day before the strike on May 1, 2023. It was not revised again in time due to AMPTP’s failure to come to a solution with major production studios like Amazon, Apple, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Walt Disney, and Warner Bros. As a result, the strike began the next day.
Since May 2, 2023, the entertainment industry has seen the largest disruption and labor stoppage since 2007.
What Do Writers Want
1. More Money
Proposals from the WGA demand that writers receive a collective total pay of $429 million annually. At the moment, AMPTP’s counteroffer is only $86 million.
2. Guaranteed Minimum Working Hours
Another dispute championed by the WGA is the requirements for mandatory positions and a minimum duration of employment to be included across contract terms. This is regardless of whether or not the AMPTP deems the staff necessary.
Consequences
Due to the overwhelming majority of writers refusing to continue to work their jobs to affirm their strike, a substantial number of films, podcasts, and TV shows have been affected.
Here is a list of several major TV shows impacted by the 2023 WGA Strike. These are just some, not all.
- Andor
- Blade
- Cobra Kai
- House of the Dragon
- Jeopardy!
- The Rings of Power
- Saturday Night Live
- Stranger Things
As a result, some have had to force production without any writers, while others have shut down completely.
Picket lines currently reign supreme across the streets of LA, primarily in front of Hollywood studio lots.
The WGA has given instructions to writers facing financial struggles as a byproduct of the strike to send in applications to the Entertainment Community Fund. This helps those in the industry to maintain health care coverage and seek affordable housing. By May 10, up to $1.7 million was pledged to the Entertainment Community Fund by prominent producers, writers, and showrunners.
Foreign unions, including the Writers Guild of Canada, Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, the Australian Writers’ Guild, the Writers Guild of Ireland, the Writers Guild of Sweden, and the Screenwriters Guild of Israel have instructed members to refrain from collaborating on American projects until the strike ends.
