2023 Writers Guild of America strike: Difference between revisions

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	{{Short description\|American film and television labor dispute}}
	{{Use American English\|date=May 2023}}
	{{Use mdy dates\|date=May 2023}}
	{{Infobox civil conflict
	\| partof =
	\| image = We are not in severance.jpg
	\| caption = Picket line formed by writers that are on strike in New York City on location of '']'' filming
	\| date = May 2, 2023 – present ({{Age in years, months, weeks and days\|2023\|5\|2}})
	\| place = United States<br/>Primarily ], ], ], and ]{{Efn\|Smaller but notable strike action has taken place in other film and television hubs like ] and ], as well as cities close to the major production hubs like ].}}
	\| causes = Lack of agreement on a new contract between the ] and ]
	\| goals = Increase ] and ] for writers<br /> Increase the size of ]s<br /> Limit the use of ] in the writing process
	\| side1 = ]<br />]
	\| side2 = ]
	\| methods = ], ], ]
	\| result =
	\| sidebox = {{Campaignbox US Labor strikes}} {{Campaignbox US service strikes}}
	}}

	The '''2023 Writers Guild of America strike''' is an ongoing ] between the ] (WGA) — representing 11,500 screenwriters<ref>{{Cite web \|title=Endorsements \|url=https://www.wgacontract2023.org/take-action/stand-with-writers \|access-date=2023-06-08 \|website=www.wgacontract2023.org \|language=en}}</ref> — and the ] (AMPTP). It began at 12:01 a.m. ] on May 2, 2023.{{r\|Vox_2023-05-02}}<ref name="wgacontract2023/on-strike">{{cite web \|title=WGA on Strike \|url=https://www.wgacontract2023.org/announcements/wga-on-strike \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502190624/https://www.wgacontract2023.org/announcements/wga-on-strike \|archive-date=May 2, 2023 \|access-date=May 3, 2023 \|website=WGAContract2023.org \|publisher=] \|language=en}}</ref>		The '''2023 Writers Guild of America strike''' is an ongoing ] between the ] (WGA) — representing 11,500 screenwriters<ref>{{Cite web \|title=Endorsements \|url=https://www.wgacontract2023.org/take-action/stand-with-writers \|access-date=2023-06-08 \|website=www.wgacontract2023.org \|language=en}}</ref> — and the ] (AMPTP). It began at 12:01 a.m. ] on May 2, 2023.{{r\|Vox_2023-05-02}}<ref name="wgacontract2023/on-strike">{{cite web \|title=WGA on Strike \|url=https://www.wgacontract2023.org/announcements/wga-on-strike \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502190624/https://www.wgacontract2023.org/announcements/wga-on-strike \|archive-date=May 2, 2023 \|access-date=May 3, 2023 \|website=WGAContract2023.org \|publisher=] \|language=en}}</ref>

Revision as of 05:06, 23 June 2023

The 2023 Writers Guild of America strike is an ongoing labor dispute between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) — representing 11,500 screenwriters — and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). It began at 12:01 a.m. PDT on May 2, 2023.

The strike is the largest interruption to American television and film production since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, as well as the largest labor stoppage the WGA has performed since the 2007–08 strike.

Issues in the strike

One of the main focus points in the labor dispute is the residuals from streaming media; the WGA claims that AMPTP's share of such residuals has cut much of the writers' average incomes compared to a decade ago. Writers also wanted artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT to be used only as a tool that can help with research or facilitate script ideas and not as a tool to replace them.

On May 2, 2020, the latest Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA) became the collective bargaining agreement that covered most of the work done by WGA writers. The Minimum Basic Agreement was an agreement that established a minimum wage for television and film writers. In television, the Minimum Basic Agreement only applied to those who wrote for broadcast television shows and not for streaming television. This was very clear when comparing late-night talk shows that were produced for broadcast television, such as The Late Show with Stephen Colbert by CBS versus The Problem with Jon Stewart produced for streaming by Apple TV+. The writers who worked for The Problem were not covered by the MBA and therefore had to negotiate individually with the streaming company for their pay, and as a result, they were paid less than writers who wrote for The Late Show while doing the same amount of work. This pattern held true with other shows in the two categories. The MBA expired on May 1, 2023.

The WGA estimated that its proposals would yield writers about $429 million a year, whereas the AMPTP's offer would yield $86 million.

One disputed issue is the Guild wanting requirements for "mandatory staffing" and "duration of employment" terms to be added to their contract, which would require all shows to be staffed with a minimum number of writers for a minimum amount of time, "whether needed or not" per the AMPTP.

Another important proposal that the WGA is advocating for is to ensure each member of a writing team receives their own pension and their own health care funds. The AMPTP rejected this proposal and did not offer a counterproposal. At the same time, there was a tentative agreement between the WGA and AMPTP to have 0.5% of negotiated minimums for all WGA minimums shifted into pensions and health funds.

Negotiations and strike activity

On April 18, 2023, 97.85% of members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) voted to go on strike if they failed to reach a satisfactory agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents the major film and television studios in Hollywood, by May 1. The AMPTP engaged in lengthy negotiations with the WGA on behalf of Amazon Studios (as well as MGM Holdings), Apple Studios, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount Global, Sony Pictures, the Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), but failed to reach a deal before the mandated deadline. As a result, the leadership of the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) unanimously approved a strike on the eve of May 2, the first of its kind since the 2007–2008 strike fifteen years prior.

The Hollywood Reporter reported that the WGA had set some prospective rules for writers during the strike. The Writers Guild stated that "writers cannot do any writing, revising, pitching, or discussing future projects with companies that are members of the AMPTP." If writers do such work, they will face punishment such as fines or even banishment from the Guild.

The Writers Guild also stated that fiction podcasts that are produced by companies against which the Guild and its members are striking must stop production. The Guild said that they hoped that writers of animated series not covered by the Writers Guild but by the Animation Guild would seek advice from the Writers Guild on whether or not their work as a writer was counter to the activities of the strike and, if so, to cease such work for the duration of the strike. The Guild noted that while they cannot punish non-Guild writers who write for companies against which the union is striking, they promise to bar such writers from future Guild membership.

The WGA instructed members to begin picketing on May 2, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. PDT. By May 3, 2023, picketing hours had extended to two four-hour shifts: an early shift from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and an afternoon shift from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Some places that the WGA has picketed include AMC Networks, Amazon/Culver Studios, MGM, CBS Radford, CBS Television City, Disney, 20th Century Studios, Lionsgate, Starz, Netflix, Paramount, MTV, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros. (including its Burbank division), 30 Rock/NBCUniversal, Broadway Stages, HBO, Silvercup Studios, Steiner Studios, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront.

During the strike, the WGA instructed writers facing financial hardship due to the strike to apply to the Entertainment Community Fund. The Entertainment Community Fund helps people in the entertainment industry with financial trouble find affordable housing and maintain health care and senior care coverage. On May 10, 2023, it was reported that writers had pledged $1.7 million to the Entertainment Community Fund. Among the prominent donors were showrunners and producers J. J. Abrams, Greg Berlanti, Adam McKay, Ryan Murphy, Shonda Rhimes, Michael Schur, and John Wells.

On June 7 and June 8, 2023, picketing in the Northeast (namely in New York) was paused due to poor air quality during the 2023 United States East Coast wildfire smoke. Strike activity resumed on the 9th when air quality improved.

On June 9, Lionsgate suspended BMF line producer Ian Woolf following an altercation with striking writers who were picketing outside of BMF's production headquarters. According to first-hand accounts from writers Gabriel Alejandro Garza and Tom Smuts, Woolf attempted to intimidate Garza and Brian Egeston, who were picketing on the sidewalk next to the studio's entrance, by accelerating his car towards them and stopping just short of hitting them. After first claiming that he did not see them, Woolf later admitted to trying to scare them. According to Smuts, Woolf later unsuccessfully tried to convince Teamsters Local 728 to cross picket lines, but they refused. Lionsgate released a statement saying, "We take acts of intimidation and threats of violence seriously and investigate them thoroughly... As we continue to investigate, we have sent home the individual involved." The WGA also released a statement, which read, "Workers should not be threatened with physical harm when exercising their right to publicly protest and picket against unfair wages and working conditions."

WGA negotiating committee

The WGA announced the members of its negotiating committee in November 2022, with David Young as chief negotiator. In February 2023, Ellen Stutzman took over as the chief negotiator of the WGA.

John August
Angelina Burnett
Kay Cannon
Yahlin Chang
Robb Chavis
Adam Conover
Travis Donnelly
Ashley Gable
David A. Goodman (co-chair)
Hallie Haglund
Eric Haywood
Eric Heisserer
Greg Iwinski
Chris Keyser (co-chair)
Luvh Rakhe
Erica Saleh
Danielle Sanchez-Witzel
James Schamus
Tom Schulman
Michael Schur
David Shore
David Simon
Patric Verrone
Nicole Yorkin

Productions impacted

Main article: List of productions impacted by the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike

Many films, television programs, and podcasts have been affected by the strike; some have been forced to continue production without writers, while others have been completely shut down. The projects that have been unaffected were either already written before May 2, are largely unscripted, or rely on non-union staff.

Still, other projects with completed scripts have been postponed or canceled due to the union's use of picket lines to disrupt those productions.

Response

List of actors picketing

List of actors expressing support for the strike

Elected officials

Konstantine Anthony

Other unions

In a statement made on April 18, 2023, the Directors Guild of America (DGA) president, Lesli Linka Glatter told the members of the Guild that there is nothing the union could do to force members back to work if a WGA strike were to happen. However, she also noted that if DGA members do not perform their "DGA covered services," they could be let go from their current positions.

Ahead of the strike, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 399 issued an advisory to members instructing Teamsters not to strike but informing them that they are protected by the Teamsters contract if they refuse to cross picket lines. At a WGA rally on May 3, 2023, Lindsay Dougherty, the leader of Teamsters Local 399, said that while the Teamsters could not strike in solidarity due to a contract in place through 2024, she affirmed that Local 399 would not cross picket lines, saying, "Every single truck that we know of has not crossed."

On May 2, 2023, The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839 made a statement of support for the Writers Guild and their strike. Along with this statement, they produced a Question and Answer document to help Animation Guild members figure out how the Writers Strike impacts their ability to maintain solidarity with the members of the Writers Guild.

Ahead of the strike, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees president Mathew Loeb informed its members of their rights to honor a picket line and that in many places their contracts "expressly" allow employees to honor lawful picket lines.

On April 30, SAG-AFTRA advised its members that while they should continue working on active projects to avoid breach of contract claims, it encouraged members to show solidarity by walking picket lines during non-working hours and posting on social media. The union also advised writers "You should not write anything normally written by striking WGA writers."

Foreign unions

The Writers' Guild of Great Britain (WGGB), based in the United Kingdom, announced its support for the strike and instructed its members to refrain from working on American projects during the duration of the strike. The Australian Writers' Guild, Writers Guild of Canada, Screenwriters Guild of Israel, the Writers Guild of Ireland, and the Writers Guild of Sweden followed suit. Solidarity statements in support of the strike were issued by Writers Guild Italia and La Guilde française des scénaristes [fr], although the Guilde stopped short of discouraging members from working on American projects during the strike.

Film and television executives

On May 3, 2023, the second day of the strike, The Walt Disney Company (through its ABC Signature Studios unit) sent a letter written by the studios' Assistant Chief Counsel Bob McPhail on behalf of the executives at Disney to showrunners and all other writer-producers who work for the company, saying that they must report back to work and perform their non-writer duties. Producers are expected to do what are known as "a through h" services, like cutting for time, making small changes to dialogue or narration, and "changes in technical or stage directions."

On May 4, 2023, on the Q1 earnings call for Paramount, CEO Bob Bakish addressed the strike, saying that writers were "an essential part of creating content" and that he hoped there could be "a resolution that works for everyone fairly quickly". Bakish also stated that the company had been planning for an extended strike and shared that the company's strategy to outlast the writers strike is to use its large streaming library located within Paramount+, the upcoming summer movie slate, which will move to the streaming service, and productions that will be completed offshore.

When asked about the guild's demands for staffing minimums and guaranteed employment periods, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers president Carol Lombardini responded by saying that "writers are lucky to have term employment."

AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron said of the WGA strike that only a prolonged strike lasting many months would impact the theater chain and that most of the movies to be released in 2023 and 2024 have already been written and even filmed.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO and president David Zaslav said that WBD and other Hollywood studios were "not glad" that the WGA strike had occurred and that the company was working to resolve the strike and compensate writers fairly.