(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



It's On Like Donkey Kong! WGA To Officially Go On Strike Starting Tomorrow [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags']

Date: 2023-05-01

FYI:

x The Board of Directors of the @WGAwest and the Council of the @WGAeast, acting upon the authority granted to them by their memberships, have voted unanimously to call a strike, effective 12:01 AM, Tuesday, May 2. — Writers Guild of America West (@WGAWest) May 2, 2023

x Picketing will begin tomorrow afternoon. #WGAStrong #WGAStrike — Writers Guild of America West (@WGAWest) May 2, 2023

Here’s some more context from Variety:

The WGA slammed Hollywood’s major employers for not responding to fundamental shifts in the entertainment economy. “The companies’ behavior has created a gig economy inside a union workforce, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing,” the WGA said. “From their refusal to guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic television, to the creation of a “day rate” in comedy variety, to their stonewalling on free work for screenwriters and on AI for all writers, they have closed the door on their labor force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession. No such deal could ever be contemplated by this membership.” The AMPTP in its statement left the door open for more negotiations, saying it was “willing to engage in discussions with the WGA in an effort to break this logjam.” But in the WGA’s view, “the studios’ responses have been wholly insufficient given the existential crisis writers are facing.” Labor action by the WGA will have widespread repercussions across the industry. Topical TV series such as late-night comedy and daytime talk shows will be the first to feel the pinch.

FYI:

x Summary: The WGA is officially on strike after failing to reach an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on a new contract. The strike is the WGA's first since 2007-08.



The two sides are scheduled to meet again on May 9. It remains to be… https://t.co/ozGAOfQUdl — Tambay Obenson (@TambayObenson) May 2, 2023

Also:

x “…studio execs are increasingly worried about the potential for additional strikes from the DGA and SAG-AFTRA, both guilds that have upcoming contract expirations after the WGA’s.” — ΛΛDIP DESΛI (@aadip) May 2, 2023

x The WGA is fighting a battle for the entire industry. We just happen to be the first ones up on the battlefield. The support from SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, and the DGA isn't just union solidarity, but an acknowledgment that the issues are industry-wide.



We are not the bad guys. — Bitter Script Reader (@BittrScrptReadr) May 1, 2023

x “The studios have done a really good job at dividing us throughout the years, and it’s time for that to be completely eradicated because the only way that we’re going to move forward…is if we’re all together.”



Thank you, @LindsayD399 #UnionStrong https://t.co/1ctpy2KbmD — David Slack (@slack2thefuture) May 1, 2023

x Jimmy would go on strike too since he’s in the guild so the show would go dark. https://t.co/mWyw1oglIX — Caroline “WGA Captain” Renard (@carolinerenard_) May 2, 2023

Late night talk shows will be the first ones to stop production:

x YouTube Video Seth Meyers got serious during his “Corrections” Late Night segment and talked about the possible writers strike. The late-night talk show host started off by saying that if he was good at one thing it was writing, “I love writing so much.” “I am deeply proud of the fact that I get to be a professional writer,” he said before mentioning that if the Writers Guild of America doesn’t reach an agreement by midnight on Monday, May 1, members would go on strike. “If a writers’ strike happens that would shut down production on a great many shows.” Late-night shows would be the first ones impacted if the writers go on strike. Meyers recalled that he experienced “a very long strike” while he was at Saturday Night Live and “it was really miserable.” “It doesn’t just affect the writers, it affects all the incredible non-writing staff on these shows,” he added. “And it would really be a miserable thing for people to have to go through, especially considering we’re on the heels of that awful pandemic that affected, not just show business, but all of us.” Meyers continued, “I’m incredibly grateful that there are negotiators for both sides sitting and talking. I’m incredibly hopeful that they can come to an agreement. I also feel very strongly that what the writers are asking for is not unreasonable. As a proud member of the Guild, I’m very grateful that there is an organization that looks out for the best interests of writers.”

Also:

x Studios “can’t build, maintain or grow their streaming businesses without the content our writers create,” WGAW research director Laura Blum-Smith tells @THR. “There’s no question...they can afford to pay writers appropriately for their value.” #WGAstrong https://t.co/I1F1mIfSSZ — Writers Guild of America West (@WGAWest) April 27, 2023

I was around during the 2007 WGA strike that lasted over 100 days. It cost the entertainment industry over $2 billion dollars. Writers are right to strike and other unions like the DGA, SAG, AFTRA and IASTE could be following the lead. To understand more about the demands and what’s going on, check this out:

x Great look at some of the issues facing episodic writers, and how much has changed in the last 10 years. https://t.co/1SRwU4ESYT — John August (@johnaugust) April 29, 2023

Also:

x “I do imagine that we will see some material generated by some random executive,” @johnaugust tells @voxdotcom. “We can’t protect them from their bad decisions. What we’re really trying to do is make sure that we’re protecting our members from abuses.” #1u https://t.co/7bXT9kX05r — Writers Guild of America West (@WGAWest) April 28, 2023

Stand in solidarity with the writers. Stay tuned.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/5/1/2167037/-It-s-On-Like-Donkey-Kong-WGA-To-Officially-Go-On-Strike-Starting-Tomorrow

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/

You are viewing proxied material from magical.fish. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.