Hollywood writers go on strike

Hollywood writers kicked off a strike on Tuesday, fighting for better pay and protesting issues with the industry in an era of streaming content after failing to reach a deal with studios.

The Writers Guild of America announced leadership had voted unanimously to call for a strike, which went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Pacific time on Tuesday. Picketing is set to begin Tuesday afternoon.

The union, which represents 11,500 writers between its east and west branches, said the strike decision came after six weeks of negotiations with entertainment and streaming giants Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Apple, NBC Universal, Paramount and others under the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The union argued the “studios’ responses have been wholly insufficient given the existential crisis writers are facing.” 

“The companies’ behavior has created a gig economy inside a union workforce, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing,” the guild said in a release. 

The writers are citing structural issues with the surge of streaming content that they say has made it difficult for writers of film, television and other entertainment forms to make a living off their work.

“From their refusal to guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic television, to the creation of a ‘day rate’ in comedy variety, to their stonewalling on free work for screenwriters and on AI for all writers, they have closed the door on their labor force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession,” the union said.  

The strike is the first of its kind in 15 years.

The impact of the walkout may not be immediately visible in shows for which scripts have already been written or episodes have already been filmed, but daily and late-night shows that need same-day writing could be affected.