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Writers Picket City’s Studios

Outside Walt Disney and Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, hundreds of picketers braved the rain Thursday morning to protest stalled contract negotiations. Writers are striking after reaching an impasse at the negotiating table. There was no word of any new labor talks scheduled between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents film and TV studios.

The strike, which began Tuesday morning, has halted television and other productions on both coasts. In Burbank, picketing is being conducted at The Walt Disney Co.’s corporate headquarters and Warner Bros.

“We know that our strength is together. It’s a lot easier making those hard individual choices, stepping away from a paycheck, when you know you’ve got thousands and thousands of people fighting alongside you. Everybody feels that. It’s what gets you out here in the rain to fight for what’s right,” Robb Chavis — a WGA board member and writer on TV shows like “Blackish” and “Frasier” — told the Leader.

The union is holding at its current asks over a host of labor issues — most notably, residuals for streaming content, staffing levels in writing rooms and the use of artificial intelligence. The strike is the first by the WGA in 15 years.

“Though we negotiated intent on making a fair deal — and though your strike vote gave us the leverage to make some gains — the studios’ responses to our proposals have been wholly insufficient, given the existential crisis writers are facing,” the union wrote in a message to its membership Monday.

The strike is also expected to have a wide-ranging economic ripple effect on thousands of crew members and other behind-the-scenes workers — as well as impact businesses near Burbank studios such as restaurants that typically serve workers.

“I know for a lot of our members, including those based here in Burbank, people are getting 10 weeks, 14 weeks, 18 weeks of work, then immediately having to look for a new job. It makes it hard to live where you want,” said Chavis.

“Our median pay hasn’t increased since 2018, and obviously housing prices have, particularly here in Burbank. Its concerning. A lot of writers enjoy settling here. Its close to so many studios, and its a great environment for us. It has a creative spirit and we want to be here, but it is really hard at current pay rates,” said Brendan Hay, a Burbank based writer and WGA member,

The WGA is specifically calling for higher residual pay for streaming programs that have higher viewership, rather than the existing model that pays a standard rate regardless of a show’s success.

The union is also calling for industry standards on the number of writers assigned to each show, increases in foreign streaming residuals and regulations preventing the use of artificial intelligence technology to write or rewrite any literary material.

According to the union, its latest contract proposal would net writers roughly $429 million per year, while the studios’ latest offer would equate to about $86 million annually.

Studios have pushed back on some union demands, noting that the entire industry is facing budget constraints, and pointing to the thousands of layoffs currently underway at the Walt Disney Co. as a prime example. The studios also say writers’ residuals have increased in recent years, powered largely by amounts earned through “new media.”

The AMPTP issued a position paper Thursday outlining its take on some key negotiating points in the labor impasse. Responding to a union demand for minimum staffing levels and employment guarantees, the alliance contends such a move would “require the employment of writers whether they’re needed for the creative process or not.”

The alliance also pushed back on the issue of streaming residuals, saying the union’s most recent contract gave writers a 46% increase in streaming residuals taking effect in 2022 — increases that some writers may only now be seeing in their paychecks. The alliance contends the union’s proposal would represent a 200% increase over current residual rates.

It also called for “a lot more discussion” on the issue of artificial intelligence, and suggesting that writers “want to be able to use this technology as part of their creative process, without changing how credits are determined.”

WGA members picket outside of Walt Disney Co. headquarters in Burbank.

“The AMPTP member companies remain united in their desire to reach a deal that is mutually beneficial to writers and the health and longevity of the industry, and to avoid hardship to the thousands of employees who depend upon the industry for their livelihoods,” according to an alliance statement issued Monday night.

“The AMPTP is willing to engage in discussions with the WGA in an effort to break this logjam.”

The WGA last week issued what it calls “strike rules,” which bar union members from doing any writing for studios being struck, or conducting any negotiations on future writing projects. The rules also direct union members to honor all WGA picket lines, perform assigned “strike-support” duties and inform the union of any “strikebreaking activity.”

The WGA last went on strike in 2007-08, remaining off the job for 100 days and grinding Hollywood production to a halt. That strike was precipitated over compensation for what was then termed “new media,” with internet streaming beginning to reshape the entertainment landscape.

The two have undergone six weeks of negotiation, and the strike is expected to continue for at least another month.

First published in the May 6 print issue of the Burbank Leader.

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