A resolution in support of the Writers Guild’s ongoing strike has been unanimously approved by the Los Angeles City Council. The motion also urged the studios to “come back to the bargaining table and reach a fair settlement with the WGA’s workers.”
“The entertainment industry has long been considered the backbone of the region’s economy, and the WGA represents thousands of Angelenos,” the council announced in a statement obtained by TheWrap.
“But the changing business model of the entertainment industry towards streaming services has forced many to work for less pay and more. Now, as writers face the biggest assault on compensation and working conditions they’ve seen in a generation, other sectors of the industry like actors and stagehands are also struggling to make ends meet.
“This is a fight for the future of Hollywood,” said council member Hugo Soto-Martinez, who represents District 13, which includes most of Hollywood. “As we enter the 60th day of this strike, we cannot allow these big corporations to play games with the future of this industry and deny our workers a living wage.”
“This resolution is a proud declaration of solidarity with working families throughout Los Angeles,” said Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, an environmental attorney representing District 5. Dignity in their work. It’s time the studios understand this, come back to the negotiating table and end this strike now.”
Please see the full resolution below:
WHEREAS, the Writers Guild of America West and the Writers Guild of America East, which collectively represent over 11,500 writers in film and television nationwide, are currently without contracts and on strike; And
WHEREAS, the WGA’s reasonable demands from the major media companies that employ its members – including Disney, NBC Universal, Paramount, Netflix, Apple and Amazon – have not been met; 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 shift in the global streaming industry to pay workers less. As a result, writers are working more jobs with less pay and less job security; And
WHEREAS, this decline in writer pay and working conditions comes as their employers collect approximately $30 billion in entertainment operating profits 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 settlement with the WGA workers.
Deadline first reported this news.
