Promptly at midnight on the second of May, theWriter’s Guild of America(WGA), which represents writers for film and television, officially initiated a strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents studio producers, marking the union’s first major strike in fifteen years. The dispute between writers and producers echoes a common tune sung throughout history where monumental shifts in technology and consumer preferences force the industry to rethink how it compensates its employees.
With the rise of streaming and the looming threat of artificial intelligence (AI), screenwriters hope to protect themselves against exploitative business practices commonly found in the industry while retaining fair residual percentages on streaming shows. Under the previous agreement, streaming shows were classified as being different from theatrical movies or the various incarnations of television. Therefore, they did not receive the same protections and benefits as their counterparts in film and TV.
However, since the industry has been moving away from theatrical screening and cable television, the changes the WGA hopes to implement would reflect a consistency with where most of the money is being made today.As Deadline’s David Robb reports, streaming “account[s] for almost half of the total residuals collected at 45.2% [an increase from last year’s 36.7%].”
But how does this affect you? Historically, WGA strikes have caused major rifts in film and television production while signaling societal shifts going beyond the industry itself. Today’s strike appears to be much of the same.
History of WGA Strikes
During the 1920s and 1930s, early unions such as the Authors Guild, the Dramatists Guild of America, and the Screen Writers Guild represented writers across different mediums such as theater, print, radio, and film. According to Robb, in 1953, as a result of the advent of television, the “Screen Writers Guild … struck for 13 weeks over rerun residuals from the new medium of television.” This would inspire a merger between the major writer’s unions in 1954, which created the Writers Guild of America we know today. Not too long after, in 1960, the WGA went on strike for 22 weeks resulting in the “establishment of an independent pension fund and participation in an industry health plan.”
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The infancy and adolescence of television generated a lot of conflict during the following decades as the WGA went on strike in 1973, 1981, 1985, and 1988. Each of these strikes was meant to anticipate major changes in distribution by addressing residuals from videocassettes, pay television, made-for-television, reruns on cable TV, and home video. The same themes and motives were at play during the 2007-2008 strike, where the WGA aimed to address disputes around what was deemed “New Media.” This new category of entertainment would pertain to online distribution channels, namely streaming and digital downloads, effectively acting as a forewarning to today’s activities.
What Is The WGA Striking For This Time
The current WGA strike is focused heavily on residuals from streaming platforms, as most streamers do not release numbers for how a show is doing. It is also focused heavily on artificial intelligence, especially being used as a tool for research but not as an instrument that can replace screenwriters or generate ideas.
Another focus for the strike is the WGA wanting a mandatory staffing requirement for their contracts and a duration of employment. This would require shows to be staffed with a certain minimum number of writers at a time, partially to guarantee employment but also more opportunities for writers, as the advent of streaming series has meant smaller production groups with smaller windows of employment, meaning there are fewer opportunities and less job stability.
The WGA has made their request very clear, andcan all be read online. Meanwhile, the AMPTP has been unresponsive and dismissive of these requests.
How Does This Affect Film & TV Today?
For most fans of television, theimmediate impacts of the strikemay be detrimental and disastrous. During the strike, long-form narrative projects that employ union members are generally shut down, postponed, or canceled altogether. These effects are already starting to take place as Marvel recently announced postponements for new Phase Five titles such asBladeandThe Thunderbolts. Awards show like the Peabody Awards and the Daytime Emmys have also seen cancellations and postponements, while most television series likeThe Mandalorian(season 4),The Last of Us(season 2), andGrey’s Anatomy(season 20) are experiencing delays and season shortening.
Related:WGA Strike: Judd Apatow’s Existential Opinion
Past strikes have seen notable upticks in unscripted material, game shows, and other reality television shows as networks attempt to stay afloat with alternative avenues like reruns or previously recorded material. Other projects that remain unaffected by the strike include those that do not employ WGA members, those who completed writing prior to the strike, and those who already started filming before the strike began. As a result, films with theatrical runs will not be affected by a strike unless it lasts long term.
An underrepresented group heavily affected by the impacts of a WGA strike is below-the-line workers. “Below-the-line” refers to all the crew members who don’t fall under the title of director, producer, writer, or actor. As a result of the strike, most of these workers lose their jobs or are forced to depend on last-resort options to survive. In the midst of the 2007 strike, Dale Alexander, a key grip on NBC’s ‘The Office,’wrote to the LA Timessaying that “[d]uring the 1988 WGA strike many of my friends lost their homes, cars and even spouses.” As long as the strike continues, many people within the film industry will continue to suffer. No union work translates to below-the-line workers competing for non-union jobs, thus perpetuating the cycle of abuse and exploitation, which started the strike in the first place.
As the strike rages on, the WGA hopes to secure protections so writers can make a comfortable living in the New Media space. While big studios areoverwhelmed with mergers, leadership turnover, and box office failings, the strike will continue to be a headache for producers. In the long run, the strike will hopefully address bigger issues as they pertain to the monopolization of Hollywood, though fair wages and benefits coverage remain the first priority.
