Writers Guild vote authorises strike

The Writers Guild of America members have overwhelmingly voted to authorise a strike that would see them stop working for production companies.

Over 96% voted in favour of the option to strike should a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers fail to materialise.

The strike could begin on May 2, when the current three-year agreement ends, with writers, caterers, set designers and others all walking out.

This would be the first time that producers and broadcasters have been given the cold shoulder since the strike of 2007-08, which effectively shut Hollywood down for 100 days.

Writers claim they are being paid unfairly, with many networks reducing the number of episodes they are ordering due to both cost and audience taste.

Union leaders have pointed to the fact that CBS, Fox, Disney and others have trumpeted strong revenues and profits to Wall Street.

“The companies are committed to reaching a deal at the bargaining table that keeps the industry working,” the AMPTP said in a statement.

“The 2007 Writers Strike hurt everyone. Writers lost more than US$287 million in compensation that was never recovered, deals were cancelled, and many writers took out strike loans to make ends meet.

“We remain focused on our objective of reaching a deal with the WGA at the bargaining table when the guild returns on April 25.”