Dand according to an ’email’ sent this Monday to the members, the negotiation committee of the Writers Guild of America referred that almost 98% of the 9,218 voters authorized the strike, with almost 79% of the members of the union to vote.
“Our members spoke. They expressed their collective strength, solidarity and search for change through overwhelming numbers”, emphasizes the committee in the ’email’, quoted by the Associated Press (AP) agency.
The writers’ three-year contract ends on May 1 and the leaders can ask for a stoppage the next day, but they can extend the deadline if the two sides are close to an agreement.
Negotiations are related to salaries, the ability of the scriptwriters to work on different programs during the downtime of other projects and, according to the newspaper Variety, the use of artificial intelligence in the creation process.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which negotiates for studios, streaming services and production companies, said in a statement on Monday that “a strike authorization vote has always been part of the WGA’s plan, announced even before the parties exchange offers”.
“Its inevitable ratification should come as no surprise to anyone,” he said.
“Our aim is, and remains, to reach a fair and reasonable settlement,” he added.
The scriptwriters voted for a virtually similar strike authorization in 2017, an agreement having been reached at the time, before the strike was called.
This sector last went on strike in 2007.
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