Unionized film and TV screenwriters could go on strike if a deal is not reached as negotiations for a new contract continue.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) negotiating committee is currently negotiating with the Television and Motion Picture Producers Alliance for a deal to address salaries and other changes brought on by streaming service dominance.
Amid negotiations, film and TV writers have voted overwhelmingly to give their executives the power to call a strike if they can’t agree on a new contract.
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The committee reported in an April 18 email that nearly 98 percent of voters voted yes to strike authorization and that about 79 percent of union members participated in the vote.
“Our members have spoken,” the email reads. “They expressed their collective strength, solidarity and demand for meaningful change in overwhelming numbers.”
The screenwriters’ current three-year contract expires on May 1 and executives could go on strike as soon as Tuesday, although they could extend the deadline if the two sides are close to an agreement.
Issues at stake include salaries, the ability of screenwriters to work for different productions during downtime on other projects, and, according to Variety, the use of artificial intelligence in the screenwriting process.
“A vote to authorize a strike has always been part of the WGA’s plan, announced before the parties exchanged proposals,” the Motion Picture and Television Producers Alliance, which negotiates for the parties, said in a statement in mid-April. studios, streaming and production services. companies.
“Its inevitable ratification should surprise no one.
“Our goal is, and remains, to reach a fair and reasonable settlement,” the statement said.
Writers voted for similar strike authorization in roughly the same number in 2017, but an agreement was reached before the strike began. The union last went on strike in 2007.