The Writer's Strike

(At the time of publication, this strike is in the process of being resolved)

Starting May of this year, the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which consists of the writers for most major movies and television shows, has been on strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), who represents many of the major production studios such as Disney and Universal. Their demands include better pay, longer guaranteed work periods, and restrictions on AI in the writing process. The strike has interrupted production on many shows, such as ABC’s Abbott Elementary and Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale. Parallels can be drawn between the current and WGA strikes in 2007 and 2008. The 07/08 strike demanded better compensation for DVD and Video-On-Demand watching, both replacing reruns for older episodes. Now, a similar thing is happening with the streaming model.

Prior to streaming, writers were paid a rate per week for the work they do in pre-production, the actual script writing, conceptualizing, editing, and producing, for the film or show they were working on at that time. Then, as episodes aired and re-aired, writers would receive residuals. With streaming overtaking cable as the primary way of consuming television, they are paid differently. Writers still receive pay for the work they do in pre-production and technically get residuals; however, the amount they are paid is much less.

You have surely noticed television seasons get shorter. Ten years ago, the average season of a network show would consist of 22 episodes; now, a season on streaming will run for closer to 8 episodes. Fewer episodes mean fewer weeks of work, so while before a season meant 40 weeks of work for a writer, now it could mean ten or less. And to executives, it also can mean fewer writers. These conditions have led to demands from the WGA regarding a guaranteed number of weeks to work, no matter the job, and a guaranteed number of writers in the room.

Another way studios are trying to cut costs is by using Artificial Intelligence in the writing process. This creates several issues (including plagiarism issues with AI’s sourcing and development) for writers. With A.I.’s growing presence in the entertainment industry, the fear of your job being replaced by a robot is very real, and writers want to put restrictions in place to keep humans in the writer’s room. 

The AMPTP, which handles negotiations with organizations such as the WGA or similarly striking actors union SAG-AFTRA, submitted its first counteroffer to the WGA in August. This offer included protections related to A.I’s use, a guarantee of 10 weeks of work, and at least 2 writers working on a given production. This offer was rejected, with the WGA stating that the AMPTP’s offer was insufficient and didn’t address the main issues that caused them to strike. Negotiations began again on September 20th; only time will tell when our favorite shows will return to the air.