The WGA Strike

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike was essential for writers' rights. The strike started as a protest against larger companies to increase the pay for writers and guarantee they are protected against the usage of artificial intelligence (AI) as a replacement for them, along with benefits from streaming. The strike has delayed many TV shows and movies; some have even been canceled. The labor movement has also impacted the other members of the production teams, including editors, any of the film crew, and more.

The nearly five month strike ended on September 27, 2023, at 12:01 AM, a unanimous vote to from WGA presidents to end the strike after an agreement was reached with the production companies that bettered the lives of the writers. Some agreements were a regulated use of AI, increased pay in many areas, and a minimum number of writers per range of episodes. There were many more terms agreed upon; to view any of the terms for a more in-depth explanation, check the complete list of the terms agreed upon, along with a summary of the terms. Any material generated by AI is not considered a piece of written work and can only be used when the writer consents. Once the writer is given material, the company must inform the writer if the material they were given is AI-generated. The company must inform the writer if their work is being used to improve AI.

Along with the new regulations, the pay for writers now has specific increases and deadlines. The weekly rates for any writing position have been increased by 3.5% to 5% which increases their pay greatly after working for a set amount of time. Staff writers get script fees including the weekly fees that they are getting paid; Script fees are payments made to the writers that work on the script as extra  The earnings cap has also been increased by $25,000, which allows for the pay of writers to be changed in many other areas.

In order to ensure that writers have enough support when working on longer projects, WGA leadership agreed on a minimum number of writer-producers per project. This minimum applies after the development rooms, which are groups of writers working together on a project. The requirements have also changed for the development rooms, now rooms longer than 20 weeks, the first season has a minimum of 3 writer-producers. For up to 6 episodes, there must be a minimum of 3 writers. For every 7 to 12 episodes, at least 5 writers must be present in the writers’ room. Thirteen-plus episodes require 6 or more writers assigned to the project. 

After the writers went on strike, no scripts were being produced which meant other production workers were unable to continue producing shows and movies. This is one of the many reasons shows were delayed or canceled. The film staff had no way to film the episodes properly without the writers working on the scripts.

As of now, writers are unable to return to work unless authorized by the Guild, despite the ending of the strike. Shows that have been delayed or canceled due to the strike have announced the continuation of production. A few of the shows being prioritized by the HBO production team are ‘Euphoria’ season 3, ‘The White Lotus’ season 3, and 'The Last of Us’ season 2. The highly anticipated season 5 of ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘Wednesday’ season 2 have also officially resumed their productions. Many late-night talk shows have also begun airing once again, for example, Jimmy Kimmel is returning on October 2nd. Many other shows are predicted to resume production but have not been officially announced.