Global Courant 2023-05-02 11:27:23
The Writers Guild of America West will begin picketing Tuesday afternoon outside of Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Warner Bros., and the other major studios in Los Angeles, after a strike was called on Monday night.
The Writers Guild of America East, based in New York, put out a schedule for the “first two weeks of picketing,” which will begin on Tuesday at the Peacock NewFront on 5th Avenue. The WGAE also plans to picket outside Netflix headquarters in New York on Wednesday.
The WGA called a strike Monday night, after the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers announced that negotiations had concluded for the day without a deal. The current three-year contract expires at midnight on Monday.
In a statement, the AMPTP said the major sticking points are the guild’s proposal for a TV staffing minimum and a minimum number of weeks of guaranteed work on a TV season. The WGA outlined the major differences between the two sides, which include the AMPTP’s refusal to consider a streaming residual that would pay more for hit shows.
“The companies’ behavior has created a gig economy inside a union workforce, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing,” the WGA said.
In Los Angeles, picketing will run from 1-5 pm on Tuesday. On Wednesday, there will be a morning shift, from 9 am to 1 pm, and on Thursday and Friday there will be both morning and afternoon shifts.
The picket lines will be at the following 10 locations:
∙Amazon, 9336 Washington Blvd., Culver City
∙Radford Studio Center, 4024 Radford Ave., Studio City
∙Television City, 7800 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles
∙Disney, 2300 W. Alameda Ave., Burbank
∙Fox, West Pico Boulevard and Motor Avenue, Los Angeles
∙Netflix, 1456 N. Van Ness Ave., Los Angeles
∙Paramount, 5433 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles
∙Sony, 4080 Overland Ave., Culver City
∙Universal, 3913 Lankershim Blvd., Los Angeles
∙Warner Bros. 3772 W. Olive Ave., Burbank
In New York, picketing will generally be limited to two locations per day, from 11 am to 2 pm Plans include picketing at Silvercup Studios and Broadway Stages on Thursday, and at an on-location shoot in Hudson Square on Friday. The guild also plans to picket outside HBO and Amazon on May 10. The guild has also advised that the schedule may change.
“The greatest amount of leverage we collectively bring to a strike action is the withdrawal of our labor,” the guild told members on Sunday. “Picketing is a key tactic to demonstrate that we are all in this together, and that until a strike is resolved, it’s not business as usual.”
The other entertainment unions — IATSE, SAG-AFTRA, DGA, and the Teamsters — have issued statements of support for the WGA. But they have also noted that each of them still has contracts in place that include “no-strike” clauses. Workers in those unions can choose not to cross picket lines, but at the risk of being replaced.
As yet, there are no plans for writers to picket in Georgia, a major filming hub where numerous scripted shows and features are currently in production. Most WGA writers are based either in New York or Los Angeles.
The AMPTP is set to begin negotiations with the DGA on May 10. SAG-AFTRA is scheduled to follow on June 7. Both those contracts expire on June 30.
