The prospect of a Hollywood writers’ strike has moved closer after a vote of Writers Guild of America (WGA) members resulted in more than 96% backing industrial action.
According to Deadline, the WGA’s strike authorisation ballot resulted in 96.3% approval from the 6,310 voters, which represents 67.5% of eligible members. The ballot was held ahead of the expiry of the current writers’ contract, which ends on 30 April. If no agreement is reached between the union and studio representatives the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) in the intervening period, then strike action could begin in early May.
The WGA released a statement after the vote, saying: “We thank you for your resolve and your faith in us as your representatives. We are determined to achieve a fair contract. Talks will resume tomorrow.”
The AMPTP released its own statement in response. “The Companies are committed to reaching a deal at the bargaining table that keeps the industry working … We remain focused on our objective of reaching a deal with the WGA at the bargaining table when the Guild returns on 25 April.”
At stake is the renegotiation of an overarching three-year deal that sets pay rates for union members, contributions to a health plan and earnings from “residuals”, or royalties paid on repeat showings. The WGA is saying that the top six studios made a combined profit of $49bn in 2015, yet writers’ incomes had fallen. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the WGA is holding out for a deal worth $535m, while the studios were offering around $180m.
The last major Hollywood writers’ strike began in November 2007 and lasted until February 2008, resulting in the delay or cancellation of many film and TV productions: millions of dollars worth of writers’ contracts were cancelled and the loss to the wider Los Angeles economy was estimated at anywhere between $380m and $2.5bn.
