In New York City, members of the Writers Guild of America East, accompanied by SAG-AFTRA members, are picketing at the Warner Bros. Discovery NYC office on July 13, 2023.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images
The Writers Guild of America has informed that it will resume negotiations with Hollywood studios on Wednesday due to the ongoing shutdown of TV and movie productions.
The strike reached its 139th day on Monday, having started on May 2. The union has urged its members to continue joining picket lines as talks resume. “You might not hear from us in the coming days while we are negotiating, but know that our focus is getting a fair deal for writers as soon as possible,” stated the WGA.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the companies, has confirmed the talks but provided no additional comment.
TV shows and films like “Stranger Things,” “Blade,” “Severance,” and “Evil” have been hit by dual strikes from writers and actors, resulting in halted production. Production companies have also suffered financially due to the strikes. Warner Bros. Discovery recently warned investors that their earnings could be reduced by $300 million to $500 million because of the ongoing strikes.
More labor unrest is anticipated in Hollywood as well. Last week, Marvel Studios VFX artists, in a first for visual effects workers, unanimously voted to join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees union. The newly-formed union is now pursuing negotiations with Marvel, which is owned by Disney, to draft a contract.
Actor Drew Barrymore and comedian Bill Maher faced heavy criticism when they announced the return of their talk shows despite the WGA strike. Following the backlash, both Barrymore and Maher reversed their decisions this week.
The last time the WGA went on strike was in 2007, and an agreement was reached after 100 days, extending into February 2008. The WGA represents 11,500 screenwriters for film and television.
The WGA is demanding standardized compensation and residuals for streaming and theatrical releases. It also seeks increased contributions to the pension plan and health fund. Additionally, with the rise of artificial intelligence, the union is calling for the regulatory use of material produced using AI by the AMPTP.
What about the SAG-AFTRA strike?
While progress seems to be made between the WGA and the AMPTP, the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has not indicated when they will return to negotiations. Their strike began on July 14.
SAG-AFTRA represents around 160,000 professionals in the media industry, including actors, presenters, and dancers. However, they are granting some independent projects within the U.S. the permission to start production under an interim agreement.
Whether SAG-AFTRA will negotiate with the AMPTP depends on the outcome of negotiations with the WGA. “SAG-AFTRA’s negotiating team remains ready at a moment’s notice to go back to the bargaining table to secure a righteous deal,” said the labor union in August, adding that the AMPTP has yet to make the necessary concessions to end the strikes.
Disclosure: NBCUniversal and CNBC are part of Comcast, the parent company. NBCUniversal is a member of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The AMPTP is currently negotiating with striking writers and actors in Hollywood.
