The First Writers’ Strike in Fifteen Years Threatens to Grind the Entertainment Industry to a Halt

Despite+week-long+negotiations+between+the+Writers+Guild+of+America+and+studio+companies%2C+no+agreement+has+been+made+between+the+two+parties%2C+and+there+is+no+foreseeable+end+to+the+disagreement.

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Despite week-long negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and studio companies, no agreement has been made between the two parties, and there is no foreseeable end to the disagreement.

Haley DiFruscio, Writer

  Writers, actors, and supporters of the Writer’s Guild of America have taken to the streets picketing in the first writers’ strike since 2008. Members of the union claim they are not being fairly compensated for their work being shown on streaming platforms compared to the amount they receive for episode reruns. The guild’s negotiating committee has been in discussion with studios and streaming companies for weeks over this issue, and they have yet to reach a fair agreement.

  Due to the strike, several late night tv shows are going dark and halting broadcasts of new episodes. “Saturday Night Live,” which relies heavily on writers in the WGA, has announced that this week’s episode will be canceled and they will be airing reruns until further notice. The story is the same for “The Tonight Show” starring Jimmy Fallon, “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert, and similar shows. Pre-recorded tv shows are also having their new seasons shortened or delayed with their writers refusing to continue with production.

  There is not yet any information on future negotiations between the guild and studios, and the two parties seem to be in stalemate with studios absolutely refusing WGA’s demands. Until then, the guild has said that the strike will continue until an agreement can be reached.