STRIKE!

The writers have struck, but will the studios try and strike back?

The WGA and AMPTP failed to reach an agreement before the May 1 deadline, so a strike was called, and battle lines have been drawn. This is not simply for a pay rise; it’s the exercise of collective action against an uneven force which has repeatedly undermined writer pay in favor of executives who take the work writers do for granted.

The studios have taken advantage of writer openness and generosity, but as pay across the spectrum of content providers has steadily dropped and show longevity and writer sustainability become more fraught over the past fifteen years, executive pay has maintained or even increased.

With the soul and spirit of the nation’s entertainment industry at stake, the writers have now chosen to make a stand, to ensure change is made and that change is fair and won’t leave members out in the cold.

As an aspiring Guild member, I am grateful for the actions of the WGA and appreciate the magnitude of this undertaking.

I try to have sympathy for people who don't know how the sausage is made. They think shows and movies somehow come into existence all on their own. Most outsiders don't understand that behind their screens, and behind the glitz of a well-produced movie or television show, there are people responsible for the concepting and writing of those stories. Even if they do know that, they may not understand how this job isn’t just a job for us.

Writers pour their soul and heart into writing stories and characters that resonate with us forever. Moments that stick with us. Memorable dialogue we repeat with our friends and wish we'd written. Incredible characters. High drama. Laughter. Tears.

Those of us who choose this path of writing and who one day hope to join the hallowed halls of other writers in the Guild know how important it is to stand in union with those who fight this hard fight.

It's easy to forget that a strike is a sacrifice of short-term gain in pursuit of better working conditions for all of us, now and future writers. People's lives are on the line. People's families and wellbeing at stake.

I hope you’ll join me in celebrating the front-line walkers who stand against the tyranny of executive fiat and the whims of people singularly making more money in a year than all writers are asking for as a collective. Stand with the heroes taking a hit for all of us.

Let's go WGA.

Regular posting will resume next week.