Thousands of Hollywood screenwriters go on strike that could paralyze the industry

The issue in dispute is How screenwriters are compensated in an industry where streaming has changed the rules of the Hollywood economy. Streaming has multiplied the number of series and movies made each year, which means more jobs for screenwriters. But WGA members say they earn far less and work under more tense conditions. The 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike on Tuesday after negotiations with the studios, which began in March, failed to win a new contract before the Monday deadline. The workers’ organization is seeking a higher minimum wage, writing rooms with more members, shorter exclusive contracts and reviewing the payment of royalties, conditions that according to the WGA have been diminishing amid the explosion of streaming.

The Chilean screenwriter Ignacio Chascas Valenzuela has pointed out on the RFI antenna: “The biggest demands are: higher profits on streaming platforms, that is, the writers are there because they are guaranteed a fair share of the profits because the way content is consumed and distributed has changed. The second is copyright protection, they want more protection in the digital age. And they also ask for hours of rest. The scriptwriters want a guarantee of rest between working hours and job security. And they’re also calling for diversity and inclusion in the industry, pushing for more representation of identities in the writing and production process.”

All screenwriting will cease immediately, the union told its members. Last month, screenwriters voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, with the support of 98% of their members. In any case, it is not something unprecedented as he stressed in RFI Ignacio Chascas Valenzuela: “It is not so unprecedented. In the past there have also been scriptwriters’ strikes that caused changes in the entertainment industry. In fact, in 2007 a strike reached an agreement that increased compensation for scriptwriters in the digital age.”

That earlier WGA strike, in 2007, lasted 100 days and cost Hollywood hundreds of millions of dollarss. In 1988, she exceeded 150 days. In the afternoon of yesterday night the first pickets were expected in Los Angeles. This time, the WGA is said to He has a fund of 20 million dollars to help its 11,000 members during the strike. For its part, Netflix told its investors that it has enough content in stock to keep offering new shows to its subscribers for a long time to come.