Earlier this week, the Writers Guild of America officially launched an industry-wide strike in light of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ continued refusal to meet them on reasonable ground in their negotiations for a new collective contract.
The union has fought for a guaranteed number of on-the-job weeks for TV staffers, pay structures to compensate for the residual fees eliminated by streaming, and regulations to rein in the looming existential threat of artificial intelligence. The organization representing the studios and networks countered with a staunch refusal to curtail the amount of work that can legally be done for no money, and proposed a “day rate” for comedy writers that essentially turns the process of making TV into a form of freelance employment at-will. These groups must now play chicken for the soul of art in America, which directly hinges on the fundamental human right to do your job under financially livable conditions. The other path at this decisive fork leads to a clear dead end for moving pictures.
