Posted in: Movies, streaming, TV | Tagged: films, movies, strike, television, tv streaming, wga, writers guild of america

WGA Members Vote Overwhelmingly to Authorize May 1st TV/Film Strike

97.85% of voting members authorized WGA West Board & WGA East Council to strike on May 1st if a new Film/TV deal isn't in place.

If the Writers Guild of America was looking to send a message to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers as negotiations over a new deal ramble on, the union's members gave them the ability to do that earlier today. After the ballots were counted (9,218, or 78.79% of WGA membership), an overwhelming majority of members (9,020, or 97.85%) voted in favor of authorizing the WGA West Board and the WGA East Council to call a strike if a new film & television deal isn't in place by May 1, 2023 (when the current deal wraps). The total number of ballots and the percentage of support for strike authorization both set new WGA records for membership turnout. "Our membership has spoken," the WGA Negotiating Committee shared with the membership. "You have expressed your collective strength, solidarity, and the demand for meaningful change in overwhelming numbers. Armed with this demonstration of unity and resolve, we will continue to work at the negotiating table to achieve a fair contract for all writers." With two weeks remaining before the deadline, the film & television industries will be watching anxiously to see if a work stoppage can be avoided.

Thanks to Deadline Hollywood, we have a look at the WGA's "Pattern of Demands" basically, the union's general goals broken down into three main negotiating categories:

Compensation and Residuals: Increased minimum compensation significantly to address the devaluation of writing in all areas of television, new media & features; standardized compensation and residual terms for features whether released theatrically or on streaming; address the abuses of mini-rooms; ensure appropriate television series writing compensation throughout entire process of preproduction, production, and post-production; expand span protections to cover all television writers; apply MBA minimums to comedy variety programs made for new media; increased residuals for under-compensated reuse markets; restrict uncompensated use of excerpts.

Pension Plan and Health Fund: Increase contributions to the pension plan and health fund.

Professional Standards and Protection in the Employment of Writers: For feature contracts in which compensation falls below a specified threshold, require weekly payment of compensation, and a minimum of two steps; strengthen regulation of options and exclusivity in television writer employment contracts; regulate use of material produced using artificial intelligence or similar technologies; enact measures to combat discrimination and harassment and to promote pay equity; revise and expand all arbitrator lists.

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