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WGA pickets on the West Coast expanded Friday in response to guild leaders’ call for a strong turnout on the streets as labor and management negotiators met for the third straight day in talks to end the more than four-month strike to end.
Large crowds of WGA and SAG-AFTRA pickets gathered in Hollywood, Netflix and Paramount until 9 a.m. The past week has been filled with rumors spread across social media and private online and text channels that a deal is imminent. In West Los Angeles, a typically large crowd packed the stage outside Fox Studios.
Many WGA veterans urged caution not to get their hopes up too high about what might emerge in the AMPTP bargaining room later today, after a third day of talks between labor and management involving four CEOs.
“I’m a realist,” said Amy Berg, showrunner and WGA Strike captain who calls herself the “Lot Mom” of Fox Studios. “You want it done. But at the same time, we’ve been through this before. A few weeks ago everyone heard on a Friday that the strike was suddenly over, and that wasn’t the case.”
As a former member of the negotiating committee, Berg also noted that the contract negotiation process is an arduous affair that does not move quickly and can be difficult to manage under pressure. Simply put, if the deal falls through, Berg believes there will be a strong will among members to stay out if necessary.
“Even if we have agreed on important points, there is so much wording that needs to be worked out. “We need to negotiate contractually, especially with this strike, to get the protection we need,” she said. So I’m willing to stay out here a lot longer if it means everyone is protected.”
Billy Ray, a screenwriter who has hosted Deadline’s Strike Talk podcast since shortly after the walkout began May 2, emphasized that studios shouldn’t expect to starve writers out through a long strike.
“I think one of the things that the companies misjudged was that life was so hard for writers and actors before the strikes that a strike isn’t that big of a step backwards,” Ray told Variety when speaking to Fox made his rounds. “I think the will to do this for months is there.”
Authors’ views on the strike and union tactics can vary widely, Ray acknowledged, but what he has found consistent throughout the labor action, now in its 144th day, is the understanding that the struggle led by WGA and SAG-AFTRA is part a major work is moving in the USA
“People are now thinking about, where is this strike now? These strikes are part of a larger conversation about the corporatization of America, the power of work, the value of the individual? These are eternal problems,” Ray said. “I like it and this is a stand and fight moment. Everyone out here has a feel for it.”
Other writers on Friday expressed a range of emotions, from extreme skepticism to anger at the studios for the length of the strike to hope that crews would reach the finish line.
“I’m very hopeful, but I’m also very much waiting for word from leadership because I know there are a number of strategies that you can use to increase optimism and try to put pressure on a deal,” said WGA member Eleanor Morrison (“Veep”). “I try to keep that in mind as I approach the mood today.”
By 10:30 a.m., the crowd of protesters outside Paramount had grown to about the same number as the first day of the WGA strike, which began May 2. The mood was optimistic and exuberant – it helped that it was pure coincidence: “Doll Day” was on the agenda, with many picketers marching with felt hand puppets or complicated marionettes – while the guild members struck a tone of cautious optimism.
Peter Murrieta (“Wizards of Waverly Place”), who was strike captain during the 2007-08 WGA strike and was a member of the negotiating committee in 2000, shared these views. “When I read the reports that say things are one way or another, I feel like that’s probably coming from the other side of the negotiations,” he said. “So I take everything with a grain of salt. I’m very motivated and ready to keep going.”
For Jamie Denbo (“Grey’s Anatomy”), the most important contract points were AI protections and data transparency that enable performance-based residuals. “They represent the most existential threat to the economy and society as a whole,” she said. “And if this company needs to be an example of why that’s important, then so be it. I’m here to fight these battles.” When it came to one of the biggest sticking points, the minimum amount of space for writers, Denbo was open.
“I work in a really big space because it’s an older model that worked and continues to work, so I’m an example of that,” she said. “But I also respect creators who have a single voice. I always think it should be an option. You have the damn money, so give us a bare minimum of space, and whether or not you want to use all these writers should be left to the creative.”
Denbo remained optimistic that both sides would reach an agreement – even as the underlying issues that have fueled industrial action across so many sectors of the economy remain unresolved.
“This whole fight is so symbolic of the evils of capitalism and corporatization without guardrails,” she said. “Do I think we’re going to get a Band-Aid that will hold this business together for a little bit longer? Yes. At some point we will do it. Because guess what, people still want “Grey’s Anatomy.” And they should, because it’s still good. And I write on it. And I’m co-EP – put that in there. But I don’t think this fight will end for a long time.”
At Netflix, author Jane Anderson spoke on behalf of many veteran members when she emphasized that her strike was about ensuring a solid future for younger writers. The blow was not as severe for them as it was for younger and less experienced writers.
“Spirits are so high,” Anderson said, noting that the start of the SAG-AFTRA strike in mid-July was a burst of energy that helped writers get through the past two months. “There was a big dip in July when it got super hot and everyone was hauling,” she noted.
“I don’t suffer because I became a writer decades ago when I could still earn a good salary. I really do this for the younger writers. I want them to be able to buy a house and support their families,” Anderson said.
Michael Cobian (“Power: Book IV”), also released on Netflix, was willing to express some hope but was guided by caution.
“That feels good [negotiators] “I can talk back and forth, and that gives us hope,” Cobian said. “But of course just because we are talking doesn’t mean that the things we demand in the next contract will happen now. I take it day by day and just try to do my job and stay positive.”
Travis Adam Wright is also excited about the involvement of senior studio executives – Disney’s Bob Iger, Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos and NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley.
“It got a lot of positive attention,” Wright said as he demonstrated in front of Netflix. “I always worry that it’s just them saying, ‘Well, we offered them better terms and they turned us down and we were so reasonable.’ The idea of giving the impression that writers are greedy or actors are greedy – it’s just ridiculous to think that we’re asking for too much.”
Adam Benic, another of the WGA’s foot soldiers outside of Netflix, stressed that the core issues that sparked the May strike have not gone away and need to be resolved. As a writer in the middle stages of his career, Benic feels his ability to move forward has been limited by changes in the nature of writers’ rooms and TV series employment in recent years.
“Mini rooms and minimal staffing are big problems for me,” said Benic. “We need a minimum path for people like me who are at the intermediate to lower level to get a degree, otherwise they would only hire two showrunners and no one else.”
At the same time, he added: “I am pleased that the CEOs are as committed as they should be. It should have happened sooner, but better late than never.”
Peter Hankoff, a screenwriter and documentary filmmaker who is a regular presence outside Fox, said he felt the pressure from the near-historic length of the WGA strike was weighing more heavily on studios and streamers than on guild members. The longest work stoppage in WGA history was the 154-day strike that lasted from early March to early August 1988.
“I don’t think the AMPTP wants to endure the longest strike ever. I think they want to end this strike before the 153rd day. Because even if it is a Pyrrhic victory, if they allow the strike to last longer than 153 days, they will set the precedent for the longest strike in history. They also set the precedent for the next strike to last even longer,” Hankoff said. “If I was [AMPTP president] Carol Lombardini, I would like to get this done. We are their business partners, we are not their adversaries, and people forget that.”
Hankoff firmly believes that authors have tremendous impact because they are a uniquely skilled workforce. “The people in the AMPTP have the power to say ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ But only writers have the power to say the words that lie between ‘fade in’ and ‘fade out,'” he noted.