The Writers Guild of America will go on strike at midnight Tuesday morning, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said in what is the entertainment industry’s first strike in 15 years after it did not reach an agreement with the WGA before the deadline.
The decision was made after six weeks of negotiations with Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony under the umbrella of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the WGA said. ” A statement said that the picketing would begin from Tuesday. “The WGA Negotiating Committee began this process with the intention of striking a fair deal, but the studio’s responses have been grossly inadequate given the existential crisis writers are facing.”
The statement came shortly after the WGA sent an email to members that picket lines would begin Tuesday afternoon if a deal is not reached. After this the studios also issued a statement.
“Negotiations between AMPTP and the WGA concluded without an agreement today,” read the studio representative’s statement. “AMPTP presented a comprehensive package proposal to the Guild last night that included a generous increase in writers’ compensation as well as improvements to residual streaming.
“AMPTP also indicated to the WGA that it was willing to improve upon that proposal, but was unwilling to do so because a slew of other proposals were still on the table, which the Guild continues to insist,” The statement continued. “The primary sticking points are ‘mandatory staffing’ and ‘term of employment’—guild propositions that would require a company to have a show with a certain number of writers for a certain amount of time, whether it was required or not.”
The WGA stated that the studios had created “a vast economy within the union workforce”.
The WGA said, “His steadfast stand in this conversation betrays a commitment to further devalue the writing profession.” “From refusing to guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic television, to the creation of a ‘day rate’ in comedy diversity, to stonewalling free work for screenwriters and AI for all writers, they have closed their doors closed the labor force and opened the door to writing as an entirely independent profession. No such deal could ever be contemplated by this membership.
Talks between the parties began on 20 March with a wide range of issues to be addressed. Foremost among them was the issue of compensation and the misuse of mini-rooms to stream TV shows and movies, a recent practice in which studios require writers with TV show pitches to prepare scripts before pitching. Large-scale writers’ rooms could be assembled. Even the greenery.
WGA also argued on this contract negotiation website An increasing share of writers were working on Scale Pay due to various factors including smaller episode orders for streaming series. The WGA was also seeking significant changes to the pay structure for late night comedy and variety shows for streaming services.
On 17 April, more than 9,000 WGA members voted to authorize their leaders to order a strike if there was no agreement in a show of unity demanding drastic changes. But people with knowledge of the talks told TheWrap that even in the final days of talks, the WGA and AMPTP negotiating committees remained at loggerheads on several key issues.
While Hollywood studios keep a stockpile of scripts that could potentially be produced without the presence of writers, most productions will now be closed as writers are usually required to return during or after production to consult on scenes. A write-in is required if logistical problems prevent a scene from being made. shot in writing.
The writers’ strike also means that all late-night TV shows will end immediately, including “Saturday Night Live,” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” Are included. among others. During the 2007–08 writers’ strike, the late-night show closed for two months before resuming without writers in January 2008, raising objections from the WGA.
This strike will end on February 12, 2008, which will last for 100 days. It is unclear whether the strike will last that long, but it is likely that it will last for at least another two months as AMPTP is scheduled to begin contract negotiations with the Directors Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA on May 10. 7. The current bargaining agreements for both those unions expire on June 30.
Meanwhile, networks and streamers preparing upfront in May will find their work disrupted, as writers’ rooms for fall TV shows typically begin their work in early summer. Depending on how long the strike lasts, how many new shows studios will have to offer on network and cable channels as well as streaming will be limited, although the latter will stockpile a significant amount of content.
