WHAT IS THE WGA?
The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different American labor unions representing writers in film, television, radio, and online media: The Writers Guild of America, East, headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO, and The Writers Guild of America West, headquartered in Los Angeles.
WHAT IS THE AMPTP?
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers is a trade association based in Sherman Oaks, California, that represents over 350 American television and film production companies in collective bargaining negotiations with entertainment industry trade unions.
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
The Writers Guild of America on their decision to strike:
Writers are facing the most comprehensive assault on compensation and working conditions that they have seen in a generation. The studios have taken advantage of the transition to streaming to underpay entertainment industry workers, including writers in every area of work.
“We have reached this moment today not of our own choosing but because the companies' assault on writer income and working conditions have pushed us to an existential brink.” – Chris Keyser, WGA negotiating committee co-chair
WHAT IS THE WGA FIGHTING FOR?
WGA's proposals and the AMPTP's counteroffers are public and linked in full (it’s only 2 pages if you want to read it yourself). But, in summary, per The New York Times, these are the things writers are demanding:
They have argued that the streaming world has eroded their working conditions. Many streaming shows have 8 to 12 episodes per season, compared with the more than 20 episodes made for traditional television.
Writers are fighting for better residual pay — a type of royalty for reruns and other showings — which they have said is a crucial source of income for the middle-class writer who has been upended by streaming.
They are also fighting what they describe as “abuses” of so-called minirooms. There’s no one definition of a miniroom. But in one example, a miniroom is made up of a small group of writers who have been hired by studios before a show has been given an official greenlight. But because it isn’t a formal writers’ room, the studios use that as a justification to pay writers less. Writers in mini-rooms will sometimes work for as little as 10 weeks, and then have to scramble to find another job.
The other area of focus is on AI. Here’s what the guild asked for:
And here’s a better breakdown of what that actually means from the WGA:
The AMPTP would like to turn writers into editors (or any word other than writer) so that they can pay them less. It is not about quality or process, so much as it is about money. An answer that is, to be honest, so deeply un-satiating, so deeply boring. A group of people for whom nothing is enough, telling workers they are asking for too much.
WHAT DOES THAT ALL MEAN?
When talking to a stream of veteran TV writers and creators, it was clear a lot of them were thinking of the up-and-coming generation of writers. There used to be a culture in television writing where one could start as a writer’s assistant and work their way up, being trained and mentored as they progressed. There were longer season orders (22 episodes was standard), and writers got to go to set (essential to ever-changing material, obviously, but also the only place to learn how to actually make and produce a show). The AMPTP would like all of that gone. Stranger Things creators the Duffer brothers had this to say about halting Netflix’s signature show:
Executives in the meantime would like to manipulate the fact that for many, writing is a vocation. This may be true, but television is a business, and a “love of work” can’t pay the rent, and perhaps more importantly, doesn’t integrate, prioritize, or even allow for the passing down of craft. Craft is essential. Hollywood is art, not tech.
WHAT NOW?
The writers will continue to strike until meaningful changes are made. As this strike goes on (guesses on an end date from those on the picket line range from July to October) we will continue to update with new information and interviews.
There’s a palpable sense of rage and excitement from people who are generally sequestered in their own work and are together now. Camaraderie is intoxicating after years of isolation. As for tactics, I heard Matt Weiner (creator and showrunner of Mad Men) say it simply: “This is about shame and inconvenience.”