The Writers Guild of America (WGA) writers strike has hit Hollywood after failed negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) for a new film and scripted TV contract. This is the first strike for the WGA since the 100-day walkout in 2007-08. The guild’s leadership expressed disappointment with the studios’ responses to their proposals, which they deemed “wholly insufficient” given the existential crisis that writers are facing. The WGA aims to exert maximum leverage to secure a fair contract by withholding labor
Six weeks ago, the WGA began negotiations with major studios, including Netflix, Amazon, Disney, and more, intending to make a fair deal. However, the guild’s proposals were met with resistance from the studios, and the two sides remained far apart on critical issues. The guild accused the studios of creating a gig economy inside a union workforce and devaluing the writing profession. The WGA’s proposals would gain writers approximately $429 million per year, while the studios’ offer is roughly $86 million per year, with 48% of it from minimums increase.
The strike will commence with picketing at various locations, including Netflix’s Hollywood offices, CBS TV City, and Disney and Universal Studios. The guild’s announcement followed a statement by the AMPTP that negotiations with the WGA had concluded without an agreement. The WGA aims to regulate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) on MBA-covered projects, proposing that AI cannot write or rewrite literary material, cannot be used as source material, and that MBA-covered material cannot be used to train AI. However, the studios rejected the proposal and countered with annual meetings to discuss advancements in technology.
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