Unions to fight together against studios if no deal is reached by June 30.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike since May 3, with picketers at the entrances of Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Studios, Netflix, Amazon, and other major studios five days a week. Though writers are facing the numerous hardships that come from such long fights, they’re sharply aware of the stakes in this contract battle. 

“It’s clear that we remain undeterred, are holding strong and feel emboldened by all the support we’re getting from different unions across the country and around the world,” said striking writer-producer Melody Cooper to Socialist Alternative. “It feels like something’s been lit on fire.”

In Los Angeles, members of Socialist Alternative joined the pickets at Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Studios, Netflix, and Amazon in late May to support the writers and raise demands like forcing the studios to pay living wages between seasons. The demand for between-season pay found support among writers who’ve been forced to endure 18+ months of unemployment between streaming productions. 

Many writers were already living off savings before the strike. Residuals — wages from the profits created by re-airing shows or selling DVDs — that they once might’ve lived on between jobs have dried up in the era of streaming. Writers know this strike is the most powerful weapon they have against the devaluation of their work, diminishing pay, lower employment security across all platforms but especially in streaming, and the exploitative use of mini-rooms.

One writer with decades of experience in the field stated that this fight is even more critical now than it’s ever been, which she sees reflected in the increasingly militant actions and sentiments of her colleagues. 

Fortunately, the pickets may soon be getting reinforcements. 

Studios Move To Divide Film And TV Workers

On June 5, SAG-AFTRA members voted to authorize a strike if negotiations with the AMPTP don’t yield a deal by June 30. Over 97% of voters were in favor of strike authorization, with a turnout of 48% — nearly double the typical turnout for previous SAG elections. Many SAG members had joined writers on the picket lines in solidarity, even before the vote took place. 

However, the support for a strike among the 160,000 union performers not only represents broad support for the writers, but comes from studio practices that have made earning a living as a performer increasingly difficult. Like writers, actors face diminishing residuals, long stretches of unemployment, and the use of AI to devalue their labor. The AMPTP’s refusal to budge on these issues with the WGA has taught SAG members that the only way to get what they need is to fight collectively. 

For now, solidarity from other unions has been strong, albeit not broadly organized. IATSE has refused to cross picket lines where there are two or more strikers, though the studios have scheduled deliveries earlier and earlier to work around that. Some IATSE members have limited themselves to making internal deliveries, such as stocking toilet paper in studio offices. These efforts are vital, but they need to be escalated, organized, and widespread to have maximum impact.

Meanwhile, studios hope to continue production by using a script stockpile and moving some aspects of production out of the country, one writer told Socialist Alternative. Writers outside the US already recognize the international implications of the writers’ struggle here. A banner called “Screenwriters Everywhere”, made of writers’ guilds and unions around the world, has organized solidarity events in multiple countries for June 14. 

That’s why the potential SAG strike is a crucial development. Like Socialist Alternative reported in May, if the 160,000-strong performers’ union joins the pickets, it would give the strike power to fully stop production. That would be an enormous step forward toward winning both unions’ demands, many of which the AMPTP has outright refused to concede.

The potential for joint struggle between SAG and WGA stands in contrast with the approach taken by the Directors Guild of America (DGA). The day after SAG members authorized a strike, DGA announced they had negotiated a tentative agreement with the AMPTP. The TA includes concessions like global streaming residuals and guarantees against using generative AI to replace directorial labor — central demands in the ongoing strike. 

It’s evident that the DGA has only secured these concessions because WGA is on strike and SAG is threatening to do the same. On one hand, it shows SAG and WGA members that the AMPTP is more than capable of meeting their demands. On the other hand, it shows DGA members that they could get an even stronger deal if they negotiated collectively alongside writers and performers.

Do Film & TV Workers Need Studio Unions?

The internal logic of film/TV unions means many creative laborers belong to multiple unions. For instance, some SAG members belong to the WGA. Some DGA members also belong to the WGA, working as writers and directors on projects. While this highlights the immense creative capacity of writers, performers, and directors, it means the different duties fulfilled by a single worker are represented by different unions. 

This has been a source of ambiguity during the strike; for instance, technically writer-directors are on strike as writers but contractually obligated to continue working as directors. This division of labor is artificial; writer-directors, writer-producers, and writer-actors often need to employ all their skills and experience to do their jobs. 

To address this, the WGA has asked writer-producers to fulfill their non-writing obligations on set with strict guidelines. Some writers have taken this a step further and withheld all their labor during the strike. The “all-in” approach to striking is the right one; if workers hope to win any demand, they need to stop the flow of profit, showing the bosses who actually controls production. When on strike, withholding only a portion of our labor is self-sabotage. 

It’s clear that the strongest deal for actors, writers, and directors will only be won if the three guilds strike and bargain collectively. It’s also clear that a “partial strike” leaves workers at a disadvantage. That begs the question: would writers, performers, directors, technicians, and craftspeople benefit from a united film-and-TV union, where all workers would enter negotiations, bargain, and strike together? 

Given the concessions AMPTP will endure to pull the DGA from SAG and WGA, the studios clearly think so. 

Socialist Alternative calls for:

• No deal without a collective deal. SAG members and DGA members must vote “no” on any tentative agreement until all three unions get the deal they need. This is the best way to ensure the strongest terms for the WGA, SAG, and DGA.
• Fully shut down production. SAG needs to start preparing their membership for a strike, including the large portion of SAG members who didn’t vote. The full power of both unions will only be brought to bear if the membership is mobilized and withholding their labor collectively.
• No more mini-rooms. Studios need to employ a full staff of writers for every production, as determined by the writers themselves.
• Living wages year-round. No more depending on seasonal work! Contracts should include off-season stipends to ensure workers can afford to live all year.