What Caused the Writers’ Strike?
Every three years, the Writers Guild of America (WGA), a union for all writers, negotiates terms for the Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA) to improve pay and workload for writers. The committee decides which proposals and rights will be prioritized during negotiation and all terms are agreed upon through a majority vote. The negotiations between the studios and the committee are typically long with much back-and-forth bargaining. It could take weeks to months to compromise on even one proposal. If the guild’s proposals are not met, they can choose to go on strike through a majority vote. These past few months, the WGA has been struggling to find an agreement with Hollywood studios. In April of 2023, WGA members voted to go on strike, and in May, writers across the country set down their pens to fight for their rights.
Why Strike?
After the success of the WGA 2007 strike, many people wonder why to strike now? In recent years, Hollywood studios have underpaid and understaffed writers, leading to many more writer strikes. As the movie production industry grows each year, pitfalls and holes in the agreement are bound to show up. With the development of AI, and the rise of streaming services like Netflix, many writers believed the MBA needed new amendments.
In 2020, the MBA established a minimum wage for broadcast tv writers, leaving writers who worked for streaming services out of the loop. This change led to an uproar within the WGA during the COVID-19 Pandemic. While the streaming industry grew overnight and production budgets for films and shows increased, the writers’ share of that budget consistently shrunk. Approximately 49 percent of all writers in 2021 and 2022 worked under the MBA minimum wage. Thus, writers were paid less despite their growing workload. Writers were now ready to take action.
writers on strike from the Writers Guild of America
Was the Contract Successful?
After months on strike, the WGA finally reached an agreement on September 24th. This MBA improved writers’ pay, healthcare, and employment rate. One of the most important changes was an increase to writers’ minimum pay by five percent this year, and a total 7.5 percent over the next two years. Many writers who work for streaming services also received a pay increase. A writer’s weekly pay was improved to $11,371 for a nine week job, $9,476 for a job ten weeks to nineteen weeks, and $8,524 for a job more than twenty weeks. Another new policy will increase writers’ health fund by .5 percent, from 11.5 percent to 12 percent. Going into effect in November, a minimum of three writers are required to work on a series for six or less episodes. For seven to twelve episodes, four writers are required to work on the project, and a thirteen or more episode show needs six writers. Another important addition is that AI cannot take away from a writer’s credit on the project and AI cannot replace the writer’s job. These are only a few of the many rights writers gained from this MBA. Even though the writers’ strike was a long process, many writers would agree that it was an important step in improving the movie industry.
The final agreement for the Writers’ strike
How Does this Affect Writers and America?
Although writers now know how much they benefited from the strike and the new MBA, there was no guarantee that the strike would succeed in May. Most writers were ready to risk their wages for the chance of better income and employment rights. Still, a few were hesitant to give up their jobs. When the guild goes on strike, all members are prohibited from writing for companies. If members don’t comply, they can be banned from any future guild activity. Because of this policy, many struggling writers had to depart from their main source of income and plunge into financial uncertainty for many months.
This strike also postponed many shows. For example, the popular Netflix series Stranger Things’ newest season was pushed back. Many other popular television shows are expected to return in January of 2024. California’s economy has also been estimated to have cost the state billions of dollars.
0
0
Average Rating