WGA Members Vote for Strike Authorization

Writers Guild of America members gave their union the authority to call a strike in the event that the guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers fail to reach an agreement by the expiration of their contract on Oct. 31.

Writers approved the request by a 90.3% vote. The two parties have been meeting since July 16, with the main issue of Internet compensation marking the greatest divide.

WGA West members cast "almost 5,000" ballots and WGA East members "almost 1,000" for a total of 5,507 votes, they said.

Some are suggesting that the next big negotiating development will come not in the AMPTP's talks with the WGA but in those it will seek to launch with the DGA if the writers' contract expires.

Management had proposed revising current residuals to allow studios to recoup certain basic costs on film and TV projects before paying any future residuals. The guild had rejected the proposal immediately in July, and its withdrawal by the AMPTP was widely interpreted as a big step toward getting the negotiations onto a more productive track.

The last major work stoppage by the WGA came in 1988, when writers walked the picket line for five months. This time around, strategists on both sides of the negotiations have been assessing the potential impact on film and TV production from a writers strike coming at different times in the calendar.