The Writers Guild of America West authorized a vote to strike, they announced on their Twitter account Monday. While this does not guarantee a strike will actually happen, this is another step on the road to a work stoppage which has been brewing since the beginning of 2023.
“The studios need to respond to the crisis writers face,” read a statement on WGA West’s Twitter page. “WGA members must demonstrate our willingness to fight for the contract writers need and deserve by supporting a strike authorization vote. The effect of a yes vote is to authorize the WGA leadership to call for a strike after May 1st if the companies are unwilling to meet our reasonable and fair demands.”
“Over the past decade, the companies embraced business practices that slashed our compensation and undermined our working conditions. We are asking to restore writer pay & conditions to reflect our value to this industry. The survival of our profession is at stake,” the statement continued.
Sources tell TheWrap that a strike authorization vote had been expected to take place sometime during the scheduled two-week pause in negotiations between the Writers Guild and the AMPTP. Per the guild’s charter requiring that an authorization vote must be announced with sufficient notice, voting will commence among eligible WGA members starting at 8:30 PM PT on April 11 and ending at noon PT on April 17.
The authorization vote is likely to overwhelmingly pass given the unity within the guild on demanding higher wages and stronger working conditions in the next contract. Approximately 96% of voting members approved the guild’s pattern of demands for the contract negotiations this past month, up from approximately 90% in the previous contract cycle.
The last strike authorization vote was held in 2017, with 96% of members voting to approve.
TheWrap has reached out to the WGA and AMPTP for further comment.
