Marking the end of the first month of the ongoing writers’ strike, on Friday two members of the Los Angeles City Council, which represent most of Hollywood, introduced a resolution in support of the striking writers. If the motion passes, the city’s legislative body would formally call on the studios to return to the negotiating table with the Writers Guild of America.
The bill was introduced by Hugo Soto-Martinez, who represents District 12 (which includes the parts of Hollywood where Netflix and Paramount are based), and Katy Yaroslavsky of District 5, which covers a significant portion of the city’s western side. and includes the headquarters of Fox and CBS.
Yaroslavsky said the resolution would serve as “a proud declaration of solidarity with working families in Los Angeles.” according to the spectrum, Soto-Martinez called it “a fight for the future of Hollywood”.
Read the full text of the proposed resolution below:
Whereas, the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) (jointly the WGA), which collectively represent over 11,500 writers in film and television nationwide, are currently without any contract and are on strike; And
WHEREAS, the WGA’s reasonable demands have not been met for major media companies that employ its members – including Disney, NBC Universal, Paramount, Netflix, Apple and Amazon; And
Whereas, writers are facing the most widespread assault on their compensation and working conditions in a generation. Media companies have taken advantage of the industry’s transition to global streaming to underpay employees. As a result, writers are doing more work with less pay and less job security; And
WHEREAS, this decline in writer salaries and working conditions comes as their employers generate approximately $30 billion in entertainment operating profit each year from 2017 to 2021; And
Whereas, without writers, the entertainment industry would not have stories to tell; And
WHEREAS, Los Angeles is the entertainment capital of the world, and has a vested interest in the stability of that industry’s workforce; And
Now, therefore, be it resolved that by adopting this resolution, the Los Angeles City Council urges the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to come to the bargaining table and reach a fair deal with the workers of the WGA.
The writer’s strike began on May 2 when negotiations broke down between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios.
For all of TheWrap’s WGA strike coverage, click here.
