Since May 2, 2023, over 11,000 screenwriters organized by the Writers Guild of America(WGA) were on strike against the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers(AMPTP). The strike occurred when the Minimum Basic Agreement(MBA) of May 2, 2020, expired and could was not agreed to based on writers of programs on streaming platforms were not represented under the MBA which guaranteed a minimum wage for broadcast television writers. This led to a cut in income to writers who worked for streaming television.
On April 18th of the same year, nearly 98 percent of WGA members voted to strike if a satisfactory agreement could not be met by the deadline of May 2nd. The discussions with AMPTP who represented streaming media giants such as Amazon Studios, Apple Studios, Sony Entertainment, Netflix and more failed to reach such an agreement.
On top of the guaranteed basic incomes for the streaming platform writers, demands to limit the use of artificial intelligence to research and assistant roles were made.
On September 24th, a tentative agreement was made between WGA and AMPTP. The tentative agreement guarantees that most employees will see increases of 5 percent at ratification, another increase of 4 percent in May 2024, and another 3 percent in May 2025. The agreement also increases healthcare and pension contributions by employers, regulations on Artificial Intelligence use and minimum employment, as well as a guaranteed 2nd step contract. On October 7th, The tentative agreement was voted on by the WGA rank-and-file with a 99 percent vote to ratify the agreement with a term from September 25, 2023, to May 1, 2026.
The Writers Guild of America strikes of 2023 ending with a strong victory for stream platform writers demonstrates the collective bargaining strength of unionized workers. Labor United Educational League and its paper, Labor Today, are proud of the Writers Guild of America in demonstrating that unions and organized labor creates a stronger working class.
