“Abbott Elementary” co-showrunner Justin Halpern, whose strike was overwhelmingly confirmed on the day the Writers Guild of America voted to authorize the strike, said the studio-enforced constraints were preventing screenwriters from earning a living wage. The possibilities have been made almost impossible.
“We have to make writing a viable career for everyone who wants to get into this skill,” Halpern told TheWrap. “This business is tough enough as it is, and to be able to enter this business, you need to be paid a living wage to be able to live in Los Angeles, one of the most expensive cities in the world.” , so the studios have wiped out that capability.
The ABC sitcom, which airs the finale of its second installment on Wednesday, April 19, is set to resume its writers’ room for its third season on May 1 — leaders of the Writers Guild of America and studios Deadline to reach a new mutual bargaining agreement. On Monday, WGA members voted in favor of authorizing union leaders to order a strike if a tentative settlement was not reached within the deadline.
“I hope we are able to come to an agreement, and it will not affect the production of ‘Abbott’ at all,” Halpern said. “But as writers, we will not allow ourselves to be undermined and unable to survive.”
While Halpern noted that most WGA members’ ability to make a living has been deteriorating for the past 20 years, he added that the “existential crisis” facing writers has gone into “hyper speed” over the past six or seven years.
Monday’s vote published by the WGA resulted in 9,218 members, or 97.85% of the total vote, voting in favor of strike authorization, while only 198 voted against it.
“Our membership has spoken,” the WGA negotiating committee said in a memo. “You have expressed your collective strength, solidarity and demand for meaningful change in huge numbers. With this show of unity and resolve, we will continue to work across the negotiating table to achieve a fair contract for all writers.”
“Abbott Elementary”, which is led by co-showrunners Halpern and Patrick Schumacher, was created by Quinta Brunson and stars Brunson, Sherrill Lee Ralph, Tyler James Williams and Lisa Ann Walter as teachers at a Philadelphia public elementary school.
