Writers Guild members authorize strike

The Writers Guild of America has voted in favor of a strike, if the union leaders fail to reach an agreement on a contract by May 1.

The WGA reported that 98% of those 9,218 ballots voted for a strike authorization while only 2% voted against it.

"Our membership has spoken. The WGA released a statement saying that writers have shown their collective strength, solidarity, and demand for meaningful changes in overwhelming numbers. We will continue our negotiations at the table with this unmistakable demonstration of unity.

The WGA stated that the results of the vote set new records for turnout as well as the percentage of votes in support of a strike authorisation vote.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the current three-year WGA contract expires on May 1.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (the trade association representing movie and television production companies) said that the vote to authorize the strike was not a surprise.

The New York Times reported that the WGA had always planned to hold a strike authorization vote, which was announced even before the parties exchanged proposals. Our goal has always been and will continue to be to reach a reasonable and fair agreement. The guild added that a fair and reasonable agreement could only be reached if it was committed to focusing on serious bargaining, engaging in full discussions with the companies about the issues at hand and seeking out reasonable compromises.

The New York Times reported that the last time writers of movies and TV went on strike, production halted for 100 days in 2007. Los Angeles' economy was estimated to have lost $2.1 billion. In 2017, 96% union members voted for a strike, but negotiators negotiated a deal at the last minute.