2023 Writers Guild of America strike
American media labor dispute / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
From May 2 to September 27, 2023, the Writers Guild of America (WGA)—representing 11,500 screenwriters[2]—went on strike over a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).[3][4] With a duration of 148 days, the strike is tied with the 1960 strike as the second-longest labor stoppage that the WGA has performed, only behind the 1988 strike (153 days).[5][6] Alongside the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, which continued until November, it was part of a series of broader Hollywood labor disputes. Both strikes contributed to the biggest interruption to the American film and television industries since the COVID-19 pandemic.
2023 Writers Guild of America strike | |||
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Part of 2023 Hollywood labor disputes | |||
Date | May 2 – September 27, 2023 (2023-05-02 – 2023-09-27)(4 months and 25 days, or 148 days)[1] | ||
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Resulted in | Tentative agreement reached on September 24, 2023; contract ratified on October 9, 2023. | ||
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The lack of ongoing film and television productions resulted in some studios having to close doors or reduce staff.[7][8][9] The strike also jeopardized long-term contracts created during the media streaming boom: big studios could terminate production deals with writers through force majeure clauses after 90 days, saving them millions of dollars.[10][11] In addition, numerous other areas within the global entertainment ecosystem were impacted by the strike action,[12] including the VFX industry[13] and prop making studios.[14] Following a tentative agreement,[15] union leadership voted to end the strike on September 27, 2023.[1] On October 9, the WGA membership officially ratified the contract with 99% of WGA members voting in favor of it. Its combined impact with the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike resulted in the loss of 45,000 jobs,[16] and "an estimated $6.5 billion" loss to the economy of Southern California.[16]