On Tuesday, more than 11,000 television and film writers in the United States went on strike for the first time in 15 years following the deadlock of negotiations between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Hollywood studios.
The guild said the walkout began at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time when the contract that was in force ran out.
The union had been negotiating with Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount, Sony, Netflix, Amazon, Apple, and Disney, all represented under the umbrella of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
The writers were demanding more pay for their members after they said they were “doing more for less.”
According to CBS News, the labour dispute could have a spilling effect on TV and film productions depending on the duration of the strike persists.
But a shutdown has been widely forecast for months due to the scope of the discord.
The writers voted overwhelmingly last month to authorize a strike, with 98% of members supporting it.
The board of directors for the WGA, which includes both a West and an East branch, voted unanimously to call for a strike.
Writers, they said, are facing an “existential crisis.” The guild announced the sites where picketing would begin Tuesday.
Late-night TV host Stephen Colbert taped his show on Monday while talks were continuing but expressed support for the union.
He said, “But I also think that the writers’ demands are not unreasonable. I’m a member of the guild. I support collective bargaining. This nation owes so much to unions.”
