The Writers Guild of America, West Building in Los Angeles.
Michael Buckner/PMC
As the Writers Guild of America prepares to release the results of a strike authorization vote, the group, which represents studios and streamers in negotiations with the union, says member support for a potential work stoppage is “inevitable.”
“A strike authorization vote was always part of the WGA plan and was announced before the parties even exchanged proposals. Its inevitable ratification should come as no surprise to anyone,” the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) said in a statement Monday, ahead of the release of the voting results. The AMPTP is currently in negotiations with the WGA for a new three-year film and television deal as the May 1st expiry date of the union’s current agreement approaches.
The AMPTP further added in its statement that while its goal is to reach a “fair and reasonable settlement,” settlement “is only possible if the guild is determined to shift its focus to serious negotiations by engaging in broad discussions about the issues and seeking reasonable compromises.” has reached out to the WGA for comment.
WGA members have been voting on whether to authorize a strike since April 11, with polling stations closing at noon on Monday and results expected later in the day. The vote does not ensure that the guild will go on strike, but it could provide the workers’ group with a bargaining tool to use in negotiations if a large majority of members authorize them to call a strike. Guild leaders have been strongly encouraging members to vote “yes” since the vote was announced in early April.
The WGA and AMPTP have been negotiating a follow-up agreement to a contract covering approximately 11,500 film and television writers since March 20 at Sherman Oaks headquarters. Information on the progress of the talks is sparse as the parties have agreed not to speak publicly about the content of these talks. However, in early April, the WGA claimed that “studios must respond to the writers’ crisis in negotiations,” while the AMPTP indicated in its Monday statement that the union had not made full commitments ahead of the vote on strike authorization to reach an agreement.
In this round of talks, the union is primarily seeking compensation for the authors. Some of his strategies for raising total compensation for members include setting higher salary floors across the board, standardizing fees for streaming and theatrical releases, extending spread protections (which discourage per-episode paid writers from spending long periods on short-run series to work), regulation of mini-rooms, and introduction of two mandatory “steps” (paying points) for feature authors. The WGA is also pushing for a minimum size for television writers and a minimum number of working weeks, THR reported in February.
Artificial intelligence is also in the crosshairs of the union in this round of talks. Amid the rise of ChatGPT and other chatbots that produce written material, the guild has made it clear that it will work to ensure that AI-produced or AI-rewritten content does not fall under the contract. Banning companies from assigning authors adaptations of text originally generated by the technology is also a priority.
Meanwhile, several prominent studios and streamers remain in cost-cutting mode. With Disney making thousands of layoffs this spring and Showtime recently slimming down as it prepares to merge with streamer Paramount+, it seems unlikely that the coalition of companies that make up the AMPTP will be willing to significantly increase author costs increase. Additionally, companies remain keenly aware that unions like the Directors Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, which are negotiating after the authors this year, are closely monitoring what the authors will receive as a potential precedent in 2023.