Hollywood’s film and TV writers could go on strike this week. Here’s what you need to know

Hollywood film and television writers could strike on Tuesday if their demands are not met during contract negotiations with the industry’s biggest production company.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA), the labor union representing film and TV writers, is renegotiating a three-year contract for its 11,500 members that expires this week. It is in talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), an association representing American studios, streaming services and production houses.

The WGA received overwhelming support from its members earlier this month to authorize a strike, if a deal is not reached.

Here’s what you need to know about potential author strikes.

What is the problem?

Film and television writers are seeking salary increases from major studios and production companies such as Netflix and Disney. The WGA says working conditions have deteriorated in the streaming era and writers’ compensation has suffered due to shorter seasons, smaller residuals and the rise of writers’ “mini-rooms.”

The mini-room is a pre-production group, usually made up of showrunners and some writers, who work on some of the first season scripts of potential shows to pitch to streaming executives. Instead of the traditional pipeline for ordering TV series from pilot episodes, some companies are now opting for script-to-series orders.

The mini-room practice is intended to give executives an idea of ​​the direction of the series as well as their budget. But critics say they offer lower pay. Many TV and film writers are based in New York and Los Angeles, industrial centers with a high cost of living.

The WGA is also pushing studios to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in scriptwriting. While saying they are open to using the technology (as long as writers maintain sole credit for the work), the group also says AI cannot be used to harm screenwriters and their work by compensating them.

What will the strike do?

The walkout could begin as early as Tuesday morning. If so, union members must adhere to strict rules that have been released before the WGA.

As soon as the strike started, the writer could not meet, negotiate or work in the company under attack. This includes material sales or options, according to the WGA’s negotiation website.

Authors must also submit an official statement to their agents and professional representatives prohibiting them from conducting any business on their behalf.

Any union member who breaks the strike rules and crosses the picket line can be disciplined by the guild for jeopardizing the strike process.

What is a studio?

AMPTP, which represents Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney, Comcast and other companies in contract negotiations, said it aims to reach a “fair and reasonable agreement” with the guild.

Sources close to the studio said budgets are tight and the company is focused on profiting from expensive streaming investments that haven’t yielded as much as expected, according to Reuters.

How will the attack affect my favorite TV show?

The attack will begin in early May, when many TV series are at the end of the season, which means that viewers will not see any changes in their favorite scripted programs.

Comedies and dramas, many of which are recorded months before the broadcast date, will only be affected if there are outstanding episodes that have not yet been written when the strike begins.

But the attack will be immediately felt in the conversation and various US events such as Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Showwhich depends on topical subjects and is written in a tighter timeline than other scripted programs.

Daytime soap operas will also be affected quickly.

Because films are written years in advance, future releases will not be affected by the attack, although it could prevent films currently in development.

Will this be like the 2007-08 strike?

The last writers guild strike started in November 2007 and ended in February 2008 after 100 days. Because the action starts mid-season and lasts for a long time, the impact is very visible to the audience. TV networks replace their regular programming with reruns and reality shows.

The script was sped up so it could be finished by the strike deadline. Series included Breaking Bad and 30 Stones was forced to finish the season early, and many others were canceled. Meanwhile, nearly 40,000 jobs were cut and California’s economy lost $2 billion.

Currently, production companies like Netflix have a backlog of content which will release in the event of an attack. Streamers have also increased their list of international series over the past few years – shows that will not be affected by the onslaught of American writers.

During the 2007-08 strike, the flood of Canadian series like Orphan Black, Flash point and The Listener picked up by US networks, including BBC America, NBC and CBS.

A potential writer’s strike was averted in 2017 when both sides reached an agreement on a deadline.