WGA Tells Writers to Be Ready to Picket if No Deal Is Reached
Story by Gene Maddaus • Yesterday
Variety
The Writers Guild of America told members Sunday to be ready to hit the picket lines if no agreement is reached by midnight on Monday.
In an email, the guild asked members to fill out a “picketing survey,” providing their preferred time and location to join in, by noon on Monday.
More from Variety
WGA and AMPTP to Meet Saturday as Talks Go Down to Final 72 Hours
Variety
The Writers Guild of America told members Sunday to be ready to hit the picket lines if no agreement is reached by midnight on Monday.
In an email, the guild asked members to fill out a “picketing survey,” providing their preferred time and location to join in, by noon on Monday.
More from Variety
WGA and AMPTP to Meet Saturday as Talks Go Down to Final 72 Hours
Hollywood Braces for Fallout as a Possible Writers Strike Looms
“The greatest amount of leverage we collectively bring to a strike action is the withdrawal of our labor,” the guild wrote. “Picketing is a key tactic to demonstrate that we are all in this together, and that until a strike is resolved, it’s not business as usual.”
Negotiators for the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers worked on Saturday and Sunday at AMPTP headquarters in Sherman Oaks. The email provided no update on the talks, other than to say that the negotiating committee “continues to bargain with the AMPTP with the goal of reaching a fair deal by tomorrow’s May 1st contract deadline.”
They are set to return to the table on Monday, and negotiations are expected to go right up to the midnight deadline.
The union is seeking an increase in compensation, a minimum staffing level for TV writers rooms, and a total overhaul of the formula for calculating residuals in streaming. The negotiations have been underway since March 20.
Last week, the guild sent out a detailed set of strike rules, advising members not to perform “writing services” or negotiate for work with struck companies if a strike is called.
Production has slowed noticeably over the last few weeks, as shows wrap ahead of the strike deadline. According to FilmLA, no scripted shows have yet pulled permits to shoot on location after Monday. The studios have long known that a strike was a distinct possibility, and have been bracing themselves and preparing as if a strike is imminent.
If a strike were called, late-night talk shows would shut down, along with “Saturday Night Live.” The scripted TV production pipeline would also largely halt, though it might take weeks or months for viewers to notice an interruption in programming.
Matt Donnelly contributed to this story.
Factbox-Why are Hollywood writers threatening to strike?
© Thomson Reuters
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood writers and the film and television studios are racing to agree to a new contract to replace the one that expires at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time Monday. If they fail to reach a deal, a strike could begin as soon as Tuesday.
Why is the Writers Guild of America threatening a strike?
The writers argue that they have been negatively impacted by streaming, saying they are working more for less money. They're seeking better compensation for their work on film, television and streaming shows, and residual payments that reward writers when a show becomes a hit.
What does this mean for my favorite TV shows?
Striking writers are prohibited from doing work on any television or film project. Late-night shows such as "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon," "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" and "Saturday Night Live," which use teams of writers to craft topical jokes, are expected to immediately stop production. Soap opera production and shows such as "The View" also are likely to be disrupted.
Streaming services such as Netflix may avoid any initial impact because they have access to foreign-language shows and production outside the United States.
If the strike drags on, it could delay the start of the fall television season. A protracted walkout could result in more unscripted reality shows and news magazines filling out the nightly programming schedule.
What do the studios say?
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the trade group negotiating the union contract on behalf of the major studios and representing the major studios and producers, says it is seeking a fair and equitable contract. Sources close to studios say budgets are tight as Wall Street wants to see profits from multi-billion dollar streaming investments that are draining balance sheets.
How is artificial intelligence a factor?
With the emergence of artificial intelligence software, the WGA wants safeguards to prevent studios from using AI to generate new scripts from writers' previous work. Writers also want to ensure they are not asked to rewrite draft scripts created by AI.
When was the last time the writers put pencils down?
The last WGA strike in 2007 and 2008 lasted 100 days. TV networks broadcast reruns and more reality shows, while the cost to the California economy was estimated at $2.1 billion, according to the Milken Institute.
(Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski and Lisa Richwine; Editing by Sandra Maler)
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood writers and the film and television studios are racing to agree to a new contract to replace the one that expires at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time Monday. If they fail to reach a deal, a strike could begin as soon as Tuesday.
Why is the Writers Guild of America threatening a strike?
The writers argue that they have been negatively impacted by streaming, saying they are working more for less money. They're seeking better compensation for their work on film, television and streaming shows, and residual payments that reward writers when a show becomes a hit.
What does this mean for my favorite TV shows?
Striking writers are prohibited from doing work on any television or film project. Late-night shows such as "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon," "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" and "Saturday Night Live," which use teams of writers to craft topical jokes, are expected to immediately stop production. Soap opera production and shows such as "The View" also are likely to be disrupted.
Streaming services such as Netflix may avoid any initial impact because they have access to foreign-language shows and production outside the United States.
If the strike drags on, it could delay the start of the fall television season. A protracted walkout could result in more unscripted reality shows and news magazines filling out the nightly programming schedule.
What do the studios say?
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the trade group negotiating the union contract on behalf of the major studios and representing the major studios and producers, says it is seeking a fair and equitable contract. Sources close to studios say budgets are tight as Wall Street wants to see profits from multi-billion dollar streaming investments that are draining balance sheets.
How is artificial intelligence a factor?
With the emergence of artificial intelligence software, the WGA wants safeguards to prevent studios from using AI to generate new scripts from writers' previous work. Writers also want to ensure they are not asked to rewrite draft scripts created by AI.
When was the last time the writers put pencils down?
The last WGA strike in 2007 and 2008 lasted 100 days. TV networks broadcast reruns and more reality shows, while the cost to the California economy was estimated at $2.1 billion, according to the Milken Institute.
(Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski and Lisa Richwine; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Melanie Lynskey, Seth Meyers, and More Support WGA Amid Negotiations
Story by Zoe Guy • Vulture.com
Melanie Lynskey Vulture. Photos: Getty Images; NBC© Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
As members of the Writers Guild of America vote to authorize a strike amid contract negotiations, many TV makers are urging their colleagues to vote yes. Melanie Lynskey, Daniel Kwan, and the creators of Yellowjackets are among the many industry professionals advocating for a strike to expand the WGA’s negotiating power in an environment where writers say streaming has sharply reduced their pay. “I stand with the WGA members voting to strike!” Lynskey tweeted. “There is no industry without writers. They deserve to be able to make a living!” Even Seth Meyers, whose show, Late Night With Seth Meyers, would be — given the quick pace of late-night TV production — one of the first shows to go down in the event of a strike, showed support for a potential strike. “I’m incredibly grateful that there are negotiators for both sides sitting and talking,” Meyers said in his “Corrections” segment on April 24. “I’m incredibly hopeful that they can come to an agreement. I also feel very strongly that what the writers are asking for is not unreasonable. As a proud member of the guild, I’m very grateful that there is an organization that looks out for the best interests of writers.”
New industry standards have left writers underpaid and overworked, the guild says. The WGA asked members to vote between April 11 and 17 (after talks with the studios stalled following two weeks at the bargaining table), saying the union’s corporate counterpart has “shown no sign that they intend to address the problems our members are determined to fix in this negotiation.”
Ted Lasso and A Black Lady Sketch Show writer Ashley Nicole Black tweeted that the guild is “simply asking for a living wage, and the ability of the middle class writer to make a living and career. Meanwhile the studios are making huge profits, and CEOs making mega bonuses. They’re just refusing to share the wealth that workers are generating.”
Below are the actors, writers, and showrunners tweeting their support for a WGA strike authorization.
TO SEE ALL TWITTER COMMENTS GO TO VULTURE.COM
Kelly Lynne D’Angelo (Writer, Miracle Workers)
Tim Barnes (Creator, Maurice on Mars)
Noah Garfinkel (Single Parents, New Girl)
This is a developing story.
No comments:
Post a Comment