As you have no doubt already heard, the WGA is on strike right now. Just over a week into it, this strike has already caused quite a few disruptions, with productions being halted and development coming to a standstill.
20.04.2023 - 19:15 / deadline.com
DGA leaders have informed their members of their rights and responsibilities in the event of a writers strike against the studios.
In an email to members dated April 18, DGA president Lesli Linka Glatter and National Executive Director Russell Hollander laid out the terms of the guild’s no-strike clauses, which require members to keep working even if there is a strike by another union. They note, however, that while the guild’s “no-strike clauses are clear … as an individual, you cannot be forced to work. If you, as an individual, refuse to cross a picket line and perform your DGA-covered services, then your employer has the right to replace you; if you have a personal services agreement, you may be subject to claims for breach of contract.”
Similar messages were sent to the DGA’s members in advance of the WGA’s 2007-08 strike and ahead of a threatened writers strike in 2017.
Here’s their message in full:
Dear Member:
Yesterday, the WGA announced that their membership has approved the strike authorization requested by their leadership. We hope the WGA and the AMPTP can successfully negotiate their contract. However, we recognize that the possibility of a writers’ strike creates widespread uncertainty about its potential impact. This email will attempt to answer some of the most common questions DGA members have regarding their rights and responsibilities should a WGA strike occur.
We do not know. The WGA Minimum Basic Agreement does not expire until May 1, 2023, and the parties will be bargaining at least through that date. The strike authorization vote does not necessarily mean that there will be a strike, it simply gives the WGA leadership the authority to call a strike on or after their contract expiration date.
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As you have no doubt already heard, the WGA is on strike right now. Just over a week into it, this strike has already caused quite a few disruptions, with productions being halted and development coming to a standstill.
EXCLUSIVE: As Hollywood moves into a second week of the writers strike, texts are flying all over town confused about an A-lister event Tuesday night on a studio lot, the blowback that could come from attending it, and crossing potential picket lines.
The Directors Guild of America has released a new video outlining its bargaining position on the eve its contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which get under way Wednesday. The video features Jon Avnet, chair of the DGA’s negotiating committee, and co-chairs Karen Gaviola and Todd Holland.
When are things not strange in Hollywood? Should we be surprised that there is always some industry or world crises crashing an awards season? Probably not, but it’s been quite a long time since a work stoppage affected the Primetime Emmy Awards. And, as we’ll discuss later, that means while writers form picket lines, actors and directors are still engaged in that Emmy nomination fight.
Another TV shoot has been disrupted by striking writers, Michelle and Robert King’s supernatural drama for Paramount+ Evil, which has been filming its fourth season at Brooklyn Stages in Brooklyn.
EXCLUSIVE: “This is about setting the course for the industry for the future,” said Directors Guild of America chief Lesli Linka Glatter today on the guild upcoming talks with studios and the WGA strike that stated this week. “We’re in a team sport. We’re only as good as our teams.”
“You make billions/pay us some!” striking Writers Guild of America members chanted on the street of New York today near where filming was going on for Showtime’s Billions.
SAG-AFTRA, which starts its contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on June 7, is in “the same boat” with the Writers Guild as it strikes for a fair contract, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland told a cheering crowd Wednesday night at the WGA strike rally at the Shrine Auditorium.
You are reading an exclusive WrapPRO article for free. Want to level up your entertainment career? Subscribe to WrapPRO.David Mandel isn’t one to sugarcoat. It’s a trait that appears in his work, from the vicious insults of “Veep” to the intentionally reprehensible characters at the center of HBO’s “White House Plumbers.” It also emerged when TheWrap asked the longtime series creator his thoughts on the currently unfolding WGA strike.
Warner Bros Discovery’s hour-long earnings call with Wall Street analysts Friday morning included nary a mention of the WGA strike, unlike many other such calls in recent days.
Friday’s earnings call. “Streaming has changed the landscape of television, changed the economics of what writers earn. We are hopeful that the Hollywood producers and the Writers Guild can work in good faith to craft a solution that works for all parties.”In sentiments that were echoed by Cinemark CEO Sean Gamble who also had a quarterly earnings reveal and conference call on Friday, Aron noted that only a long strike by screenwriters would disrupt the cinematic pipeline, be it theatrical releases or films intended for streaming.
Chelsea Handler is standing with the WGA strike — “obviously.” The comedian told TheWrap as much during an interview promoting her “Little Big Bitch” comedy tour, which will see Handler headlining the the Red Rocks Amphitheater near Denver on May 10 for SeriesFest.“Obviously, I stand with the writers, absolutely, and the WGA,” Handler said. “It’s unfortunate that it has to come to this.”To Handler, sharing profits and offering better deals to writers seems like an “obvious move” for large corporations that “make tons of money.” “The trickle-down economics don’t necessarily work. So I think it’s the only fair thing to do, and hopefully it’ll be over sooner than later,” Handler said.The actor and writer also spoke about potentially taking over “The Daily Show” after Trevor Noah left the late-night show in December.
Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor As the Writers Guild of America goes on strike, late-night television has been put on pause, including NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” which is on an indefinite hiatus. Multiple sources confirm to Variety that, in the unlikely event the strike is resolved in the coming weeks, “Succession” star Kieran Culkin is scheduled to take the stage at Studio 8H on May 13, with musical guest Labrinth, while “The White Lotus” star Jennifer Coolidge is set to close out “SNL’s” 48th season with Foo Fighters. This would have been Culkin’s second time hosting following his season 47 appearance. After being brilliantly imitated by “SNL” cast member Chloe Fineman, Coolidge would have made her long-awaited debut on the show.
Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International After several writers told Variety they’ve been frustrated about the lack of clarity around the rules for projects set up with the U.K. branches of “struck” companies like Disney or Netflix, but aren’t covered by WGA terms, the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain has attempted to clarify the rules of play. On Thursday, the WGGB emailed members and provided an update on its website FAQ section, and all signs seem to indicate that “pre-existing” projects can continue, but new work for the U.K. subsidiaries of “struck” companies will be discouraged. One question reads: “I am currently partway through a series/contract with a U.K.-based U.S. producer who is a WGA MBA signatory company — what should I do?”
WWE CEO Nick Khan said Wednesday the company isn’t imapcted by the WGA strike that started yesterday.
a longstanding member of the guild.Along with “Emily in Paris” and “Sex and the City,” Star also created “And Just Like That,” “Melrose Place,” “Younger” and “Uncoupled,” among his many credits.\Reps for Star didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap.WGA has been locked in a seemingly intractable dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) for months, and in April members voted by an overwhelming 97% margin to authorize a strike should talks break down. That happened at midnight on Tuesday.At issue, the guild is trying to stop what it says is the rise of “a gig economy inside a union workforce,” especially at streaming services like Netflix.
writers’ strike.“A living wage for all writers is essential; I don’t think it’s something that should have to be fought for,” Gad told TheWrap outside of Fox Studios in Los Angeles. “I think that it’s something that should just be understood as a right that these incredible writers who write the words that we as actors are privileged to say.”The “Frozen” actor also expressed his concern for the “long term” and looming threat of AI, suggesting some sort of language that protects writers from artificial intelligence potentially replacing their jobs.#WGAStrike: "A living wage for all writers is essential" – @JoshGad pic.twitter.com/z0hJ071yR7“It’s more about a lot of writers that I’ve been privileged enough to work with coming in and doing many rooms, and doing some other things that they, frankly, don’t get paid what they should be getting paid for,” Gad continued.
The Writers Guild of America strike is underway with hundreds of TV and film writers taking to the picket lines. Of course, that means writing work has come to a halt on many TV shows such as Cobra Kai, Yellowjackets, and Abbott Elementary, among others. Deadline will update you with latest on delays and potential production shutdowns as a result of the strike, so keep refreshing the page.
walked off the job Monday night in the entertainment industry’s first strike in 15 years, after the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers failed to reach a deal.WGA said the decision to strike was made after six weeks of negotiations with the umbrella organization that is representing Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony. But it’s the studios themselves where writers and supporters will carry signs and march. Picketing it set to take place from 1 p.m.
unable to reach a deal in contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.The guild has shared an infographic that outlines the $773 million in combined salary that eight major Hollywood studio CEOs made in 2021. They include Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel ($308.2 million), Warner Bros.