WGA Strike Explained: The Issues, The Stakes, Movies & TV Shows Affected — And How Long It Might Last
29.04.2023 - 08:11
/ deadline.com
Hollywood has been a union town for close to 100 years. In that time, there have been a little over a dozen major labor strikes, the last being the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America work stoppage, which lasted 14 weeks and had a profound impact on the industry.
The current looming strike by the WGA could start as soon as 12 a.m. Tuesday, when the current WGA contract with the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers expires.
Below is a primer covering the issues, the parties involved and what’s at stake for the entire industry during a work stoppage.
In Brief
Deadline: 11:59 p.m., May 1
At Issue: Compensation for writers in a changing media landscape
Jobs At Stake: 822,000 direct employees; 2.4M total supported in 2021
Industry Wages: $81B direct; $186B total supported
The Market: $261B in sales
WGA Membership: ~20,000
AMPTP Membership: 350-plus TV and film production companies
The Two Sides
On one side are the Hollywood studios, networks, streamers and hundreds of other motion picture and TV producers which make and/or distribute most content. They are represented in the talks by the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
On the other, is the Writer’s Guild of America, which represents writers in Hollywood who are members, which most working scribes are. Supporting the WGA are many of the other powerful guilds and unions, including the Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG-AFTRA), the Director’s Guild of America (DGA)
What’s At Issue?
“The survival of writing as a profession is at stake in this negotiation,” the WGA said at the outset, noting that many members who previously made a good living are finding it much harder to do so these days.
“Driven in large part by the shift to streaming, writers