Bisola David
Following failed wage negotiations with major studios, thousands of Hollywood TV and movie screenwriters are scheduled to begin a strike on Tuesday.
According to BBC, more than 9000 writers, or over 98 percent of voting members, are expected to participate in the Writers Guild of America’s first strike in over 15 years.
The last strike that took place about 15 years ago was a 100-day strike by authors that cost the US $2 billion in 2007.
The Hollywood writers’ current contract expired soon after midnight on March 31 due to an impasse in negotiations between studios and the writers that started in March. The guild notified its members that all script writing was to end immediately.
The West and East branches of the WGA’s board of directors unanimously decided to call for a strike, which would begin at the stroke of midnight. They claimed that writers are experiencing an “existential crisis”.
How authors get compensated for shows that frequently linger on streaming services for years, as well as the potential effects of artificial intelligence on writing, have been major topics of discussion.
The studios have stated as a group that they must reduce expenses due to mounting debt, but they have also noted that the total “residuals” payouts to writers reached an all-time high of $US494 million ($NZ799m) in 2021.
The Writers Guild of America reportedly advised its members to be prepared to picket if a new deal was not negotiated by Monday’s deadline.
Alex O’Keefe, a writer for the comedy-drama series The Bear and a member of that union, noted that studios only paid half of all writers the minimum wage.
He claimed that although his writing colleagues’ creative output was at an all-time high and met the needs of the streaming era, writers were being paid less than ever.
“And writers like me, especially young, Black, indigenous, and writers of color, have infused the process with an entirely new wave of creativity.
“However, we are finding it difficult to live in cities where we need to be in writers’ rooms, such as New York City and Los Angeles.”
According to Alex O’Keefe, “I wouldn’t categorize all writers as being poor or broke, but I can state that I have $6 in my bank account.”
Late-night programming may end as of midnight (US time), and upcoming programming and films may experience delays.
