Hollywood Writers To Go On Strike First Time In 15 Years; TV And Film Productions To Bear The Brunt

Hollywood films and television writers are set to go on strike for the first time since 2007. The move is expected to bring an immediate halt to the production of many television shows and news film projects. Writers Guild of America has announced the strike on their micro-blogging site.

The tweet reads, “The Board of Directors of the @WGAwest and the Council of the @WGAeast, acting upon the authority granted to them by their memberships, have voted unanimously to call a strike, effective 12:01 AM, Tuesday, May 2.” The guild posted a series of tweets. Another tweet also read, “The decision was made following six weeks of negotiating with @Netflix, @Amazon, @Apple, @Disney, @wbd, @NBCUniversal, @Paramountplus and @Sony under the umbrella of the AMPTP.”

“Though our Negotiating Committee began this process intent on making a fair deal, the studios’ responses have been wholly insufficient given the existential crisis writers are facing. Picketing will begin tomorrow afternoon. #WGAStrong #WGAStrike,” read the tweet.

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Reportedly, more than 11,000 writers will go on strike. Writers are expected not to produce new work for struck studios. The work stoppage could quickly affect late-night talk shows. According to the unions, a growing share of writers, editors and showrunners are now receiving the industry’s minimum pay under the contract.

Chris Keyser, a co-chair of the unions’ negotiating committee, recently described the challenges facing writers as “existential.” “The move to the streaming model has devalued writers’ work in a way we have not seen before and leaves us with an agenda that is central to the economic survival of writers,” Keyser recently told the Los Angeles Times.

The last time the industry’s writers went on strike was in 2007 and 2008. That work stoppage lasted 100 days.

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