Dispatches From The Picket Lines, Day 35: As Writers Take On Apple, WGA Chiefs React To DGA Deal
06.06.2023 - 01:03
/ deadline.com
Apple may have entered the virtual reality arena earlier today with the unveiling of a new platform and headset, launched with the help of Disney boss Bob Iger, but in the real world it spent the day being targeted by writers.
The WGA decided to leaflet outside Apple’s HQ as well as in various cities including LA, New York and Washington, DC.
In LA, a slew of writers went from protesting outside of Television City to The Grove, where Apple has one of its stores and handed out information about the strike to consumers interested in new iPhones and laptops.
WGA leadership, including former presidents Patric Verrone and David Goodman, as well as Secretary Treasurer Betsy Thomas, lead a march to leaflet at the Apple Store at the Grove #WritersStrike pic.twitter.com/xnnJC0qkxc
WGA West President David Goodman told Deadline that it targeted Apple because the union’s ask would be a “drop in the bucket in terms of what they earn in a year”. The guild noted that its proposals would cost the company, which has annual revenues of around $400B, around $17M a year.
“If they want to be a company that hires writers, they’ve got to pay us what we’re asking,” added Goodman. “We wanted to give a special day to [show] Apple customers, here’s this company that has a reputation of treating creators well, that’s mistreating the creators of the television movies that they put on their platform.”
Chris Keyser, who is co-chair of the WGA’s negotiating committee, agreed. “We’re leafletting Apple to point out to people that these companies whose public face is warm and creativity forward, they behave exactly the opposite when they deal with their own employees and particularly with us,” he told Deadline.
“Our ask of $17M a year is a rounding