Imagine that you are working in a job for a long time, and you’re pretty good at it.
You work hard, produce the best work possible, and then you realize that your company is making way more money than you first thought. Not only that, but Corporate wants to replace you with a robot. It’s basically the plot of a sci-fi film. And it’s what has happened to TV writers across the country.
That’s exactly why the writers went on strike.
The strike started on May 2nd, 2023, and ended on September 25, 2023, making it one of the longest writers’ strikes in US history.
But the true beginning was a bit before that. On April 18, 2023, the Writer’s Guild of America voted to strike if negotiations failed with AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers).
On July 14, SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) announced that they were also going on strike against AMPTP.
Many celebrities have voiced their solidarity with the picketers, including President Joe Biden.
“The President supports workers’ right to strike and hopes the parties can reach a mutually beneficial agreement,” according to a White House spokesperson.
Biden was also seen picketing with the United Auto Workers, another union looking for higher wages while company profits are through the roof.
Others are actively against the writers’ strike.
“There’s a level of expectation that they have, that is just not realistic. And they are adding to the set of the challenges that this business is already facing that is, quite frankly, very disruptive,” said Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney.
Later comments contradict his original mindset, though.
“Nothing is more important to this company than its relationships with the creative community … that includes actors, writers, animators, directors and producers,” said Iger just a month later, according to Dateline.
The WGA had re-negotiations underway, starting from September 20 of this year. They reached a deal on September 25, 2023. According to the New York Times, the studios have agreed to increase payment to writers for streaming content, and ensure that AI won’t take over any writer’s job.
But this doesn’t mean the strike is completely over.
Now that they have reached a deal, it needs to be approved by multiple different WGA boards, and ultimately voted on by the members of the WGA themselves. After that, production will be resumed on all impacted shows.
