Hollywood film and television writers are threatening to embark on an industrial strike if their demands of pay rise and changes in industry practices are not meant.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA), the union representing television and film writers, could begin the industrial action on Tuesday if a deal can’t be reached with the likes of Walt Disney and Netflix.
According to a report by Reuters, the guild said the effect of the strike will be that writers can’t meet, negotiate with or work for a struck company.
“Half of TV series writers now work at minimum salary levels, compared with one-third in the 2013-14 season, according to Guild statistics. Median pay for scribes at the higher writer/producer level has fallen 4% over the last decade,” the report added.
“Artificial intelligence is another issue at the bargaining table. The WGA wants safeguards to prevent studios from using AI to generate new scripts from writers’ previous work. Writers also want to ensure they are not asked to rewrite draft scripts created by AI.”
The WGA is negotiating with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers, which represents Amazon, Apple, CBS, Disney, NBC Universal, Netflix, Paramount Global, Sony, and Warner Bros. Discovery.
Last month, members of the guild voted 98% in favor of going on strike if no new deal is reached by midnight of Monday.
It is understood that if the strike happens, it would be the first of its kind in 15 years. The last WGA strike in 2007 and 2008 lasted 100 days.
