What's with this writers' strike?

 

Writers across the world strive every day to create manuscripts for books, both print, and audio, along with their counterpart writers who write for movies, television, and radio. Each writer is talented yet underpaid for their talent. The WGA, Writer Guild of America which is a union that covers the talented individuals who make up the stories, and write the dialogue for movies, television, the news, radio, and other outlets within the entertainment industry is currently fighting for the rights and pay of their members and even nonmembers working within the industry. While I am not a member of the WGA, I support their work in fighting for proper pay scale for their talent and ability to create the best characters, dialogue and scenes that help visualize the story they are telling each day of the year.

A while back the WGA asked their members to vote as to whether or not they should strike, and their members voted 97.85% yes, so on May 1 of this year the AMPTP, Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, and the WGA did not come to a compromise on a new contract the WGA began its strike. Remember the industry is a business and you work day in and day out without an increase in pay, hours that suck, producers who take advantage of you and your talents and you're supposed to be grateful to work within the industry of fantasy. I think not. The WGA told its members we Strike, so they went on strike. While I don’t condone unions and strikes, as a writer myself of both books and scripts, I can relate to the nonexistent pay that is offered to those of us who create those characters you love so much and design the stories you crave to see each week on television or even your streaming networks. After all, we would like to eat and pay our bills too, just like a business would like to pay their bills and staffing personnel.

The industry is more interested in reproducing old scripts of movies like Aladdin, Arthur, Ben Hur, Hello Mr. Billionaire, Carrie, and Cheaper by the Dozen, just to name a few. You see the industry already owns the scripts and rights to these movies so why bother paying a writer for a new innovative storyline and script when they can just remake an old classic that doesn’t have the same characteristic actors to play the parts as the old actors played? Besides they can save money on a new script and just hire a flunky to rewrite the old one and bring it up to date without having to pay the writer a new script fee. It’s a game of taking advantage of the little guy while you budget millions for the high-priced name actor you want as your lead and who will not really make you any money, except bring in the investors and look good in a trailer for the movie. Even if they really can’t act worth a hill of beans.

So what are the writers really fighting for in this ongoing strike? Compensation for writing has been negatively impacted by the takeover of streaming. For example, if you look at the staffing on a TV hit show, the writers are working at minimum pay regardless of experience while showrunners are left without a writing staff to complete the season, according to the WGA’s recent report stated.  The report also stated that a streaming series budget soared over the past decade, while median writer-producer pay has fallen. It points to an increase in writers working for the Minimum Basic Agreements across the board in roles ranging from staff writers to showrunners. In overall terms, the percentage of TV writers working for the MBA minimum increased from 2013–14 to almost half of all writers in 2021–22.

Some streaming shows have refused almost all MBA protections and minimum salary marks for scripts and weekly shows, especially for those writing for comedies and variety shows on networks like Paramount, Hulu, Netflix, and many others who receive no MBA protections at all.  When we look at the movie industry, salaries for writers have gone down almost 20% in the last – 5-7 years.   So, these are the issues.  The WGA is fighting to increase minimum compensation in all areas of media. Not only in residuals but also compensation from pre- to postproduction, increase in contributions to pension and health plans, to the strengthening of professional standards. Writers don't get backend royalty points for their work like actors and producers get on a project. 

Show your support for independent writers by checking out who the writers are on your favorite shows and make a donation to the Motion Picture & Television Fund which was created by Mary Pickford and many other Hollywood stars back in 1921 as a way of helping their own within the industry who fall on hard times. It's the only Hollywood Nonprofit I would support were I in the industry because it helps the little guy, the writers, the grips, those who earn a paycheck and live from one project to another in survival mode, not making millions of dollars for a few hours worth of lousy work before a camera while not having any talent to speak of. You know those actors who ask for millions but only produce pennies in a scene. 

 

Author Elizabeth Kilbride is a former political operative, author, scriptwriter, historian, and journalist. business professional, creative artist, and life coach consultant. Ms. Kilbride holds a Master's in Criminology and a BS in Business Management she stepped out of the loop for a while but is now back with a powerful opinion and voice in the direction of this country and our economy. As a life coach, she is available to counsel individuals to enjoy their dreams and a better life. Ms. Kilbride loves to travel, and photograph her surroundings and is also a gourmet cook who loves to garden and preserve food for the winter months.