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Thousands of members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) begin a strike on Tuesday morning bringing an immediate halt to many television shows and delay in the start of several other seasons.
Report says the strike began after last minute talk with major studios over wages broke down. Although the strike started midnight on Tuesday, picketing will begin on Tuesday afternoon. This will be the first strike since 2007, when writers went on strike for 100 days.
According to BBC, writers are clashing with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), representatives of the major studios, including Disney and Netflix to demand higher pay and a greater share of the profits from the modern streaming boom.
“Member companies remain united in their desire to reach a deal that is mutually beneficial to writers and the health and longevity of the industry, and to avoid hardship to the thousands of employees who depend upon the industry for their livelihoods”, said a statement from the management’s negotiating committee.
The studios said the primary sticking points involves union proposal calling for minimum staffing ranging from six to twelve writers per show for a specific period of time. The WGA also criticized the studios for attempting to turn writing into an “entirely freelance” profession.
Shows like Saturday Night Live and Late Night With Seth Meyers will be impacted by the strike. Reports by the New York Times says a prolonged production shutdown could affect local economies, especially workers such as drivers, caterers, costume dry cleaners, set carpenters, who help support productions.
The last strike led to a total loss of an estimated $2.1 billion for the Los Angeles economy.
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