#wga

[fans4wga]

[dweemeister]

June 5, 2023

By Anousa Sakoui

(Los Angeles Times) -- Members of SAG-AFTRA have voted to strike if they can’t reach a deal with studios over a new contract by June 30, underscoring widening labor tensions across Hollywood.

The vote was approved by a 98% margin, the union said Monday night.

The endorsement gives the union more leverage in negotiations with studios that begin Wednesday on behalf of its 160,000 performers and broadcasters.

“This strike authorization means we enter our negotiations from a position of strength, so that we can deliver the deal our members want and deserve,” Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director and chief negotiator, said in a statement.

“We are approaching these negotiations with the goal of achieving a new agreement that is beneficial to SAG-AFTRA members and the industry overall,” the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said in a statement.

The vote comes as writers enter their sixth week of a strike that has already destabilized the film and TV industry. An actors’ strike could further disrupt production activity.

Breaking news out of Hollywood, folks. And it's not just your regular movie and TV actors who are covered by SAG-AFTRA. This also includes announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists, and other media professionals (according to the union's website). This would perhaps be even more disruptive than the current WGA strike.

[cbrownjc]

So SAG approved its Strike Authorization. About 98% of SAG members voted "Yes."

This means that if a deal between SAG and the AMPTP isn't reached by midnight on June 30, 2023, all of SAG will go on strike. Which means every actor in Hollywood will be on strike.

To act in a US-based and funded production, you have to be a member of SAG, with no exceptions. So if SAG goes on strike, every US-based funder production that is currently shooting is going to have to shut down indefinitely until at least the SAG strike is over.

Unlike with the WGA strike, there is no way productions can continue without the actors. (Not even the best Deep Fakes can be created in time to do it.) So SAG striking would for sure mean a 100% shutdown of the whole entertainment industry.

And yes, for my IWTV peeps, that means the production of Season 2 would have to stop and shut down, even though the shoot is taking place overseas. (FWIU, Season 2 isn't set to finish filming until the end of August). Sam, Jacob, Assad, Eric, and all the rest of the actors on the show would be considered to be crossing the picket line if they still went to the set to film if a strike is called for.

So June 30th is the date to look for. Because, like the WGA, I don't think SAG is going to waste any time to start their strike if a deal with the AMPTP isn't met.

[justinsentertainmentcorner]

Alissa Wilkinson at Vox:

The Hollywood writers strike marked its one-month anniversary on Friday, with no signs of slowing down. While other guilds in the industry are still on the job — except when they’re blocked by picket lines — the writers may soon get company on those picket lines.

Two other major entertainment guilds, the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), also entered the summer with looming contract expiration dates. Both groups’ agreements with AMPTP, the trade association that represents the industry’s film and TV production companies, end on June 30. A lot could happen between now and then, but the situation is looking dicey.

All of that means that come July 1, the studios may be facing a double or even triple strike, in effect shutting Hollywood down completely.

The DGA rarely strikes — the last time was in 1987 — and its leadership has not called for a strike authorization vote. But its relations with the AMPTP have been trickier than usual. Negotiations began on May 10, with demands that in part mirror the WGA’s concerns. The main sticking point is wage and residual increases that keep in step with rising costs of living. In particular, lower residuals for shows on streaming services, where the lion’s share of entertainment now lives, have wreaked havoc for many people in the industry, drastically reducing compensation and making it increasingly difficult to just pay the bills.

In the past, the DGA has sometimes managed to make an agreement with AMPTP ahead of the start of bargaining, effectively setting a pattern for the WGA and SAG-AFTRA to follow in their own demands. Last November, the DGA sent a “pre-negotiation” offer to the AMPTP, seeking resolution ahead of bargaining. The AMPTP reportedly rejected the DGA’s proposal, meaning both parties came to the bargaining table without an arrangement.

The situation seemed to intensify due to an unforced error. On May 23, Warner Bros. Discovery launched Max, its newly rebranded streaming platform, which had previously been named HBO Max. Eagle-eyed observers noticed that in listed credits, the platform lumped writers, directors, producers, and so on into one category labeled “creators.” Aside from the queasy implications that the greatest works of cinema and television were just “content,” the choice on the company’s part ran afoul of hard-fought contract regulations regarding credits for artists.

It was a weird choice, and one that set blood boiling in Hollywood. The presidents of the WGA and the DGA issued a rare joint statement, with DGA president Lesli Linka Glatter noting that “The devaluation of the individual contributions of artists is a disturbing trend and the DGA will not stand for it. We intend on taking the strongest possible actions, in solidarity with the WGA, to ensure every artist receives the individual credit they deserve.”

By the end of the day, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that it would modify how credits were listed on the platform in compliance with its preexisting contract agreement with the unions. Yet the strong language indicated that the DGA was ready to play hardball.

Meanwhile, members of SAG-AFTRA have been vocally supportive of the WGA. This is no shock, since on top of the same issue of residuals and wages, the union — which includes, in addition to film and TV actors, people who work in radio, singers, voice actors, influencers, models, and other media professionals — is concerned about the existential threat posed by AI and other technologies. Even before the WGA’s strike began, SAG-AFTRA issued statements regarding how the use of AI could eliminate or greatly reduce work for its members.

Members of SAG-AFTRA have shown up on picket lines to support the writers, and the star power posed by some of its most prominent members helps bring attention to the WGA’s strike. It’s also an effort to remind the studios that when their own negotiations begin, they’re ready for a fight. Underlining that implicit statement, the leadership of SAG-AFTRA unanimously agreed to ask its membership for a strike authorization vote, which concludes this coming Monday, June 5. That’s a move designed to signal solidarity to the AMPTP ahead of negotiations.

[...]

Here’s what’s most significant about all of this: All three unions have never gone on strike at the same time, in the history of Hollywood. The fact that this scenario is possible, even likely, emphasizes how extraordinary this moment is in the entertainment business. 

Hollywood could be on the verge of a triple strike that could effectively shut down everything completely. The WGA strike is ongoing, but the SAG-AFTRA and/or the Directors Guild could also launch their own strikes.

[destinyc1020]

They started picketing in Atlanta and have shut down production there. London is about to have a big March with UK writers in support of the US writers. And Deadline announced that all on location production in LA has stopped. NY has been getting their productions shut down cause teamsters don’t cross picket lines. It’s a matter of time before more even smaller projects if they are with American production companies start delaying their films or shows too. Even Tom said they stop development of FA In solidarity with the writers.

https://twitter.com/deadline/status/1666540059682807808?s=46

X

Wow...sounds like it's getting serious. Thanks Anon.

[detectivechen]

WGA+SAG Strike Fast Facts

SAG-AFTRA has overwhelmingly authorized a strike (98% YES).

It is still NOT a guarantee that the actors will go on strike!

Negotiations start June 7th.

Contact expires June 30th, at midnight.

If negotiations fall through, their strike could start as early as 12:01 am on July 1st.

The AMPTP should be shaking! Sure, the DGA has tentatively reached a deal with them due for ratification today (June 6, 2023). But there will definitely be no writers writing new or amending finished scripts. And now, there could be no actors willing to risk their guild memberships to perform them.

If an aspiring member of either guild takes on work for these studios after a formal strike has been called, this is considered scabbing, or crossing the picket line. Scabs could be deemed ineligible to join their guild or expelled, suspended, or fined, if they're already members–pending court approval, of course.*

These guilds negotiate their members' basic benefits, rights, and protections when working for struck companies, or studios, under the AMPTP umbrella. For writers, these basics could be: minimum staffing requirements, minimum wage per type of work, guaranteed employment duration, residuals, protections against use of AI, etc.

Yes, it would be amazing to have a hot strike summer that will end only when the studios agree on a fair deal with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, separately. But we're not there quite yet.

I understand that it's hard to wait now that we're conditioned to get a ton of things on-demand. So please understand that the wait is even harder for the people who are directly impacted financially but standing in solidarity anyway to save the future of Hollywood.

In the meantime, there's plenty of already released productions to watch or rewatch. If you're feeling bold, you can even overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles by watching non-US and/or non-English productions with no dubbing.

Let's hope for the best while keeping this same energy for UPS Teamsters, whose strike authorization vote starts this week.

[thefirsthogokage]

More Strike Tweets I've Collected But Hadn't Posted Yet

(click for better image quality)

(link to tweet)

(link to tweet)

That chart:

The strike is into its 6th week. Fuck those directors and producers.

[connie-rubirosa]

LET’S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOO

(link to article)

[cock-holliday]

“If this hurts my shows I’m gonna riot” “they better not cancel my favorite show” “this is so selfish I NEED this show” “what about my mental health now that they—“

So you agree. Show-writers are important to you and to the industry and should be compensated accordingly for their important work.

[gingerswagfreckles]

Hey y'all. With the Writer's Guild of America on strike, you might be hearing a lot more about something called "residuals," which are payments that the writers get for the studios continuing to air their work on reruns and such. Already I'm seeing people trying to frame the union trying to bargain for better residuals as greedy and unreasonable, so I just wanted to give you guys a peek into my dad's full, 100% real residual payments for writing some of the most watched episodes of American late night television.

Yeah lol. If u hear anyone trying to frame the conversation around residuals as writers being greedy, please do me a favor and punch them straight in the face ❤️🙃🙃

[re-bee-key]

I pointed this out in a Discord server I'm in and thought Id share here:

Bob Iger announced that Disney is going to absorb Hulu, and Hulu will no longer exist next year. All shows will move to the Disney+ app.

Disney also announced they were going to remove shows and movies periodically from their streaming services.

I believe both of these moves are because of the Writers Strike.

Disney knows its going to lose the strike. There is too much public support. Specifically, the WGA is going to win writers getting more residuals from streaming.

So if Disney takes shows off of streaming, they dont have to pay the writers the residuals.

They are going to use excuses like "not enough funding for the server capacity" or "not enough views to warrent keeping the show". These are BULLSHIT. Its all greed. Its only GREED.

Pay attention to what happens in the following weeks.

And keep supporting the writers' strike.

[fans4wga]

Again, this is the anticipated broadcast network TV (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, etc.) fall season timeline, given the possible SAG-AFTRA + WGA strike on July 1st.

Late night shows will return first.

If writing resumes in September, shooting might begin early/mid October. Episodes will most likely air starting in Jan 2024.

Networks can't afford a strike until December. The longer [the] strike goes, the more it will benefit deep-pocketed streamers who are trying to put the networks out of business. If networks don't cut a deal on mini rooms, and streaming $, they'll lose a season, and streamers will replace them.

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

Precious man (not in black!) sighted ❤ (x,x)

Neil Gaiman: Hi, I'm Neil Gaiman. I'm wearing the first red T-shirt I've worn since 1987. Because I'm a member of the WGA. I'm on strike. I care so much for the things that I've written but I'm out here right now not working and here until we get a good contract because I care about the future of the WGA, the future of young writers. I want a world in which no AI writes scripts or attempts to. I want a world in which young writers get to learn how to make television. And I want a world in which we are fairly compensated for the things that we put up on streaming.

[friendshiptothemax]

I was on a plane this weekend, and I was chatting with the woman sitting next to me about an upcoming writer’s strike. “Do you really think you’re mistreated?” she asked me.

That’s not the issue at stake here. Let me tell you a little something about “minirooms.”

Minirooms are a way of television writing that is becoming more common. Basically, the studio will hire a small group of writers, 3-6 or so, and employ them for just a few weeks. In those few weeks (six weeks seem to be common), they have to hurriedly figure out as much about the show as they can -- characters, plots, outlines for episodes. Then at the end of the six weeks, all the writers are fired except for the showrunner, who has to write the entire series themselves based on the outlines.

This is not a widespread practice, but it has become more common over the past couple of years. Studios like it because instead of paying for a full room for the full length of the show, they just pay a handful of writers for a fraction of the show. It’s not a huge problem now, but the WGA only gets the chance to make rules every three years -- if we let this go for another three years and it becomes the norm? That would be DEVASTATING for the tv writing profession.

Do I feel like I’m mistreated? No. I LOVE my job! But in a world of minirooms, there is no place for someone like me -- a mid-level writer who makes a decent living working on someone else’s show (I’d like to be a showrunner someday, but for now I feel like I still have a lot to learn, and my husband and I are trying to start a family so I like not being support rather than the leader for now). In a miniroom, there are only two levels -- the handful of glorified idea people who are already scrambling to find their next show because you can’t make a decent living off of one six-week job (and since there are fewer people per room, there are fewer jobs overall, even at the six-week amount), and the overworked, stressed as fuck showrunner who is going to have to write the entire thing themselves. Besides being bad for me making a living, I also just think it’s plain bad for television as an art form -- what I like about TV is how adaptable it is, how a whole group of people come together to tell a story better than what any of them could do on their own. Plus the showrunner can’t do their best work under all of that pressure, episode after episode, back to back. Minirooms just...fucking suck.

The WGA is proposing two things to fix this -- a rule that writers have to be employed for the entire show, and a rule tying the number of writers in the room to the number of episodes you have per season. I don’t think it’s unreasonable. It’s the way shows have run since the advent of television. It’s only in the last couple of years that this has become a new thing. It’s exploitative. It squeezes out everyone except showrunners and people who have the financial means to work only a few months a year. It makes television worse. And that is the issue in this strike that means everything to me, and that is why I voted yes on the strike authorization vote.

[angel-ponders]

It shouldn’t be surprising that writers have some of the best strike signs in existence

[wovesaxe]

on the announcement that Disney+ is removing a plethora of shows and films from its service, please read these tweets from Willow writer John Bickerstaff. this is not a tax writeoff like Batgirl, because these projects have already been released. this is a move designed to cut off financial support in the form of residuals, and break the spirit of the strike. here is the deadline article that lists the films/shows that will be removed.

as always, donate to the entertainment community fund, vocally support the WGA online and irl, or join a picket in a major US city if you can. let them know they can't keep getting away with things like this.