The Writers Guild of America is set to embark on a strike as its members have overwhelmingly voted for it. The strike will go on if a new film and TV contract with the AMPTP is not reached by the 1st of May.
Writers Guild of America Strike
While contract negotiations are currently ongoing between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, members of the WGA have just gotten one step closer to striking should this round of talks is not resolved before May.
According to Deadline reports, an overwhelming majority (97 percent) of the members of WGA voted today to authorize a strike. This is a move that empowers the WGA West Board as well as the WGA East Council to call for a strike if the WGA and the AMPTP can’t come to an agreement upon a fair labor contract by May 1st. And of the eligible voting members of the WGA, 9,020 voted in favor of the strike authorization, while 198 on the other hand opposed it. The WGA in an email to its members stated that the results sent a clear message and also set new records “for both participation and the percentage of support in a strike authorization vote.”
The Guilds Message to Its Members
“Our membership has spoken,” the guild stated. “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.”
The Terms for a New Labor Contract
The WGA for some time now has been pushing the AMPTP for a new labor contract that compensates writers across the board better, increases pay minimums, and also establishes a new formula to determine the number of residuals that people are paid for their work on streaming projects.
The AMPTP has now stated that it wants to “reach a fair and reasonable agreement,” but in the earlier parts of today, just ahead of the election results, it preemptively dismissed the approval as having “always been part of the WGA’s plan” and also stated that the results “should come as no surprise to anyone.”
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