Writers Guild of America West increased its offer to the 115-member staff union on strike since mid-February, as talks with the AMPTP loom. However, per WGAW Executive Director Ellen Stutzman, the staff union rejected the latest offer — which amounted to $800,000 in additional wages for the first year.
“It is always a union’s right to decide when to take a deal or how long to strike,” Stutzman said in a memo to guild members Friday evening. “Next week, we will turn our full attention to the Guild’s most important function for its membership, negotiating the MBA [Minimum Basic Agreement].”
Yet, if WGA West and its staff union fails to reach an agreement this weekend, it runs the risk of striking employees picketing Monday’s bargaining session. This, in turn, would force the WGA Negotiating Committee to cross the picket line in order to bargain with AMPTP on behalf of the guild.
“While the staff union has threatened to picket WGA members involved in negotiating the MBA, your 2026 Negotiating Committee, chief negotiator and executive staff (who are not in the bargaining unit and not on strike) will carry out the key obligation to bargain the best contract possible for writers,” Stutzman added.
In response to Stutzman’s update, WGSU called out the executive director, noting that she was not present for the latest bargaining session, which took place Wednesday.
“Wednesday evening, management agreed to meet with us, but once again without Ellen,” the WGSU posted on Instagram Friday. “There, the parties began making genuine progress. However, the following morning, management once again called the WGSU issuing an ultimatum requiring us to drop core union issues such as seniority and job protections. We are disheartened that management continues to keep us on strike through its bad-faith tactics.”
Before signing off, WGSU issued a statement for Stutzman, saying, “You know where to find us, @ellestn.”
In a statement to TheWrap, WGSU added: “Yes, Guild management countered and we provided a comprehensive response. They refused to make additional counters and instead posed an ultimatum that would strip us of basic job security, seniority protections and economic equity.”
This update comes nearly two weeks after the WGA West canceled its annual Writers Guild Awards amid the staffers’ strike.
“Currently, the non-supervisory staff of the WGAW, represented by the Pacific Northwest Staff Union (PNWSU), is on strike,” WGAW President Michele Mulroney wrote of the celebration, which was set to take place on March 8. “While I respect the staff’s right to strike, I also believe that you deserve an uncomplicated celebration of your achievements. We would not ask you, your guests talent, and crew to cross a picket line to attend.”
WGAW staffers unionized in April 2025 with the Pacific Northwest Staffers Union (PNWSU), seeking its first union contract with WGAW by the end of that year. That did not happen, however, as WGSU went on strike on February 17 and accused WGAW of “surface-level bargaining” and unfair labor practices, filing a formal complaint to the National Labor Relations Board.
The WGSU said it was seeking “basic protections,” including “robust protections from artificial intelligence in the workplace,” “pay increases” and “just cause and grievance procedures that promote mutual accountability and fairness.”
The WGSU saw dozens of WGA members join them on the picket line at the end of February, with WGAW captains telling TheWrap that the 2023 writers’ strike helped build a relationship between union members and the staffers.
“We would not have survived the 2023 strike without the staffers,” said Jackie Penn, vice chair of the WGAW Committee for Black Writers. “They were the first to show up on the picket lines before any writers showed up and they were the last to leave at the end of the day.”
