Hollywood on strike: Screenwriters strike for first time in 15 years

Thousands of Hollywood TV and film writers are set to go on strike on Tuesday after wage talks with major studios failed to resolve.

The Writers Guild of America is expected to hold its first strike in 15 years, when more than 9,000 writers — nearly 98% of voting members — will strike.

It could see late-night shows stop starting at midnight, while upcoming shows and movies could face delays.

In 2007, writers went on strike for 100 days and lost about $2 billion.

This time, writers are clashing with a coalition of film and TV producers — which represents major studios including Disney and Netflix — demanding better pay and a bigger share of the profits from the modern streaming boom.

Key issues in the talks were how screenwriters get paid for shows that remain on streaming platforms for years, and the future impact of artificial intelligence on writing.

As far as studios are concerned, they collectively said they had to cut costs due to financial pressures, while noting that overall “residual” payments to writers hit an all-time high of $494 million in 2021.

according to hollywood reporterThe Writers Guild of America told its members they should prepare to picket if a new agreement is not reached by Monday’s deadline.

Alex O’Keefe, writer of the comedy series “The Bears” and a member of the union, told the BBC that half of the studio’s writers were paid the least.

The creative output of his writing colleagues is better than ever, in keeping with the demands of the streaming age, but writers are getting paid less than ever, he said.

“Writers like me, especially young black writers, Indigenous writers, writers of color, bring a whole new wave of creativity into the process.

“But we found ourselves unable to survive in places like New York City and Los Angeles, where we needed to be in the writer’s room.”

O’Keeffe went on to note that while some writers “do a great job,” many writers, including showrunners on major shows, don’t.

“I wouldn’t classify all writers as poor or broke, but I can say I only have $6 in my bank account,” he said.

He said that when he and his colleagues won best comedy series at the Writers Guild of America Awards, he wore suits that friends and family bought for him to the ceremony.

“The tie was bought on credit, I had no money, my bank account was negative,” he explained.

When he was filming The Bear, he was working from his “tiny” Brooklyn apartment.

“My heat ran out, I had a space heater, I plugged in the space heater, [and] Sometimes all the lights go out. I’ll end up writing about the show at the public library, which has become a huge hit and has made a lot of money for some…several people.

“But that’s not the case with the people who really put their heart and soul into the characters, the story and the moments you remember.

“So Hollywood now has a huge underclass.”

The screen actors’ union SAG-AFTRA and the directors’ union DGA expressed solidarity with the striking writers.