EXCLUSIVE: While the Writers Guild of America will continue to negotiate with the studios right up to the expiration of their current contact on May 1, strike preparations are underway — but Hollywood might not see picket lines as quickly as you think.
In fact, the WGA will likely not have its first picket lines out on the streets “until Tuesday afternoon,” sources tell me. Add to that, the guild leadership are planning a big meeting on May 3 at the over 6,000 capacity Shrine Auditorium to explain to members why they do or do not have an agreement with the AMPTP.
With the tense atmosphere gripping the town right now, the explaintion of the later than expected WGA picket start time is actually more bureaucratic than dramatic.
Like any large organization, the WGA has procedures. and part of the procedure in the case of a strike is that the WGA West Board and the WGA East council have to formally approve said strike action, if it comes to that. That approval, and the activation that would follow, could take a few hours, hence the May 2 PM start time for picketing.
The scribes are technically in a strike position at 12:01 AM on May 2 if no deal is made with the AMPTP for a new three-year contract. With a nearly 98% strike authorization vote mandate earlier this month and placards already printed, the WGA leadership are ready to hit the labor action button at any time if they choose.
A weekend of “deeply engaged” talks, as one insider put it has ended today. Aiming to resume tomorrow, the Ellen Stutzman-led WGA Negotiating Committee and the Carol Lombardini-led studio reps anticipate bargaining late into the night Monday as the contract expiration deadline looms.
This comes as the WGA sent out a survey to members Sunday asking them where they would like to picket in the event of a strike.
“While the WGA Negotiating Committee continues to bargain with the AMPTP with the goal of reaching a fair deal by tomorrow’s May 1st contract deadline, we need to be ready for a potential strike,” the guild said today in a note accompanying the Member Picketing Survey about when and where they’ll be able to walk picket lines. The greatest amount of leverage we collectively bring to a strike action is the withdrawal of our labor. Picketing is a key tactic to demonstrate that we are all in this together, and that until a strike is resolved, it’s not business as usual.”
“A strike is a dynamic situation,” the guild said to members in the email containing a link to the survey. “Therefore, picketing locations and shifts may be subject to change. If we go on strike, WGA captains have been trained to lead the picketing, and WGA staff will be on site to support the actions.” In that context, the multiple choose survey asks WGA members questions like: In the event of a strike, are you able to picket in the Los Angeles area?”
Battered by low residuals, a lack of streaming data information, job insecurity and more, writers are bringing in less money overall despite a content boom in recent year of more shows and more platforms The low income most scribes are experiencing is something that neither side truly disputes, even if they have widely divergent approaches as of now on how to resolve the problem.
Long before streamers like Netflix, Prime Video, and AppleTV+ were the dominate players they are now, the last WGA strike in 2007-2008 lasted 100 days, with effects the industry is still dealing with in 2023.
If there were a strike starting on May 2, late-night shows would shut down immediately as would writers’ rooms and any big-screen or small-screen project that is still fine-tuning or grinding out scripts. Add to that, other guilds and unions like the DGA, IATSE and the Teamsters could refuse to cross sanctioned picket lines. A reaction in this era of renewed union solidarity that could prove a major flew on and off the streets.
David Robb contributed to this report.
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