The union, which represents more than 11,000 writers for film, television and other forms of entertainment, announced its strike on Tuesday, in what is the first strike by writers and Hollywood’s first of any kind in 15 years.
And the decision of the Writers Guild of America, which could lead to the cessation of Hollywood studios and networks and the disruption of late-night television, according to the “Washington Post” newspaper, came after the collapse of negotiations that lasted for weeks with production companies over compensation for authors and other issues, such as the use of artificial intelligence in scripts.
The strike, the industry’s first since 2007, was initiated by the writers outside 10 major studios in Los Angeles and the Peacock Newfront on Tuesday afternoon and is set to begin Wednesday at Netflix’s Manhattan headquarters in New York, according to the Washington Post.
Regarding the reasons for the strike, the union says that even with the increase in the budgets of the soap operas, the book’s share of that money has decreased, according to the Associated Press.
The union also adds that using streaming services for smaller employees, known in the industry as “microrooms”, for shorter periods made sustainable income more difficult, according to the agency.
The number of writers working for the union’s minimum wage has also increased from about a third to about half in the past decade. The union says that comedy writers have no minimum protection whatsoever.
“More writers on TV crews are working for minimum wages, regardless of their experience, and these wages are disproportionate to price increases due to inflation,” the union announced in a report issued in March.
Before announcing the start of the strike, the union said on Twitter: “The responses from production companies and studios have been completely inadequate given the existential crisis writers face,” according to the Washington Post.
The union added that it would strike after six weeks of negotiations with “Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discovery Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony.”
The announcement of the strike disrupted Monday night’s Met Gala, where many celebrities voiced their support for the Writers’ Union as they walked the red carpet at an event that usually focuses on the lavish designs worn by Hollywood’s elite.
The newspaper stated that if the strike extends for months, as it did 15 years ago, it could disrupt the broadcast of fall television programs and overwhelm the queue of films and content scheduled for release in the coming years.
