Contract negotiations have been in the works for months for the Writer’s Guild and rumors floated like wildfire that a strike may happen if negotiations aren’t met. Well the rumors are now fact, the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) had authorized a strike on Monday against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. If no agreement is met the strike can take effect as early as May 2nd. This is huge news not only for the rest of the writing world but also anyone who enjoys TV shows. The WGA negotiating committee issued this statement to WGA members:
“We thank you for your resolve and your faith in us as your representatives. We are determined to achieve a fair contract.”
The strike was authorized after a vote of 96% in favor of standing strong on their requests regarding schedules, payments, and benefits. The previous WGA strike happened 10 years ago in 2007. The strike lasted 100 days from November to February 2008. The last strike gave rise to the mid-season breaks because of scrambling for second-halves of seasons. The AMTP issued this statement in regards to the 2017 strike:
“The companies are committed to reaching a deal at the bargaining table that keeps the industry working. The 2007 Writer’s Strike hurt everyone. Writer’s lost more than 287 million in compensation that was never recovered, deals were cancelled, and many writers took out strike loans to make ends meet. We remain focused on our objective of reaching a deal with the WGA at the bargaining table when the guild returns on April 25th.”
So what does all this mean? It means that all shows such as Gotham, Supergirl, Arrow and any other popular show currently starting new production episodes will be halted including Netflix exclusives. We can kiss our favorite shows goodbye until an agreement is met.
So what do our readers think? Do you think the writer’s are making a good decision, or think they should suck it up and keep working? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned to DCN for the latest updates!
