Hollywood Writers’ Strike Reaches 100 Days Mark With No End in Sight
LOS ANGELES, Aug 9 (Reuters) – The Hollywood writers’ strike has officially hit the 100-day milestone, with contract negotiations at a standstill and frustrated workers protesting on the picket lines. The strike, which began on May 2, has been sparked by disagreements between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and major studios over compensation, minimum staffing of writers’ rooms, and residual payments in the streaming era, among other issues. Additionally, writers are expressing concerns about the use of artificial intelligence that could potentially replace their creative input.
The entertainment industry is currently facing a unique set of challenges, including declining television revenues, a movie box office that has yet to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, and streaming services struggling to turn a profit. Warner Bros Discovery Chief Executive, David Zaslav, has admitted that the ongoing labor unrest in Hollywood could impact the company’s film slate and its ability to produce and deliver content.
In a show of solidarity, actors represented by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) joined the strike on July 14, demanding better pay and protection against the potential threat of artificial intelligence. This joint strike by both SAG and WGA is the first of its kind since 1960.
Attempts to resume negotiations between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the major studios’ negotiating group, have been fruitless so far. A recent meeting yielded no firm date for returning to the bargaining table. The WGA sent a message to its members expressing frustration over details leaking from the confidential session but maintaining their willingness to negotiate in good faith.
As the strike drags on, tensions are rising on the picket lines. Many passionate writers feel that their demands are being disregarded and that studio executives are showing indifference and even cruelty. Dawn Prestwich, a TV drama writer, expressed her disappointment in the changing nature of the industry, stating, “This business is changing now… It doesn’t feel like a human business now.”
The strike has taken on the rhetoric of class warfare, with writers criticizing media executives’ excessive compensation. Bob Iger, Chief Executive of Walt Disney, received backlash for calling the union demands “just not realistic.” Writers like Jamey Perry have reacted strongly to what they perceive as greed and cruelty from the companies, stating that it feels “really bad.”
This strike, like previous ones, reflects writers’ desire to share in the revenue generated by new forms of distribution. The 1960 strike sought residual payments for airing old movies on television, the 1985 strike demanded a share of revenue from the home video market, and the 2007-08 strike focused on extending guild protections to “new media.” This time, the central issue is residual payments for streaming services, but concerns about artificial intelligence have also risen to the forefront.
According to Steven J. Ross, a professor of history at the University of Southern California, the push for a share of revenue from new technologies is a crucial issue for workers. He states, “When technologies create new revenue streams, workers want a share of that revenue. Period. When it comes to artificial intelligence, it is an existential crisis. They have the potential of losing their jobs forever.”
As the strike enters its 100th day, the future of the negotiations remains uncertain. Both sides must find a way to bridge the divide and address the concerns of the writers and actors in order to restore stability to the entertainment industry.
Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski and Danielle Broadway in Los Angeles; Editing by Mary Milliken and Sandra Maler
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