The Writers Guild of America announced Monday evening that the Board of Directors of the Writers Guild of America West and Council of the Writers Guild of America East have voted unanimously to call a strike, effective 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.
Picketing will begin Tuesday afternoon, according to the WGA West.
“Though our Negotiating Committee began this process intent on making a fair deal, the studios’ responses have been wholly insufficient given the existential crisis writers are facing, the WGA West said in a statement.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios, issued a statement at 7:54 p.m. that negotiations concluded Monday without an agreement.
“The AMPTP presented a comprehensive package proposal to the Guild last night which included generous increases in compensation for writers as well as improvements in streaming residuals,” the statement said.
“The AMPTP also indicated to the WGA that it is prepared to improve that offer, but was unwilling to do so because of the magnitude of other proposals still on the table that the Guild continues to insist upon. The primary sticking points are mandatory staffing and duration of employment, Guild proposals that would require a company to staff a show with a certain number of writers for a specified period of time, whether needed or not.
“The AMPTP member companies remain united in their desire to reach a deal that is mutually beneficial to writers and the health and longevity of the industry, and to avoid hardship to the thousands of employees who depend upon the industry for their livelihoods. The AMPTP is willing to engage in discussions with the WGA in an effort to break this logjam.”