Writers Guild Members Vote to Authorize Strike Transcript

Jen, Melvin, good morning to both of you. Nearly 98% of eligible voters within the Writer’s Guild of America voted to authorize this strike. So what that means, essentially, is that if a fair deal is not reached by May 1st, which is when the current contract expires, a strike can go into effect as of 12:01 a.m. on May 2nd. So we’ll wait and see what happens, but let’s show you what the Writer’s Guild of America is saying. They released a statement that reads in part, “Writers have expressed our collective strength, solidarity, and the demand for meaningful change in overwhelming numbers. Armed to this undeniable demonstration of unity and resolve, we will continue to work at the negotiating table to achieve a fair contract for all writers.”

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The WGA is negotiating with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents Hollywood Studios, including Disney and Netflix. The main issue here is streaming. Writers want standardized pay regardless of whether a film is released theatrically or on a streaming service. They’re also calling for more contributions to their health plan. The Producer’s Guild says studios are taking an economic hit and they can’t afford what would cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Mayor Bass touched on this looming strike in her state of the city last night.

Now, I know that the studios and the unions have started their negotiations. And I encourage both sides to come to an agreement that recognizes that our city relies on the industry as a bedrock of our middle class and we need more middle class jobs here in LA.

More from the Producer’s Guild, they said an agreement is only possible if the WGA is committed to turning its focus to serious bargaining by engaging in full discussions of the issues with the companies and searching for reasonable compromises. The last time there was a breakdown in talks and the writers went on strike was 2007. Production halted in LA. There was a huge impact on the entertainment industry. We’re talking billions of dollars. So we’ll see what happens here. Currently, I’m in touch with several writers and I hope to bring you their perspective in the next hour, but for now, I will send it back to you.