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Union: Hollywood writers begin strike | STERN.de

Union: Hollywood writers begin strike |  STERN.de

The writers demand, among other things, salary increases and higher subsidies for health and old-age pensions. The strike could now paralyze many film and TV projects.

In Hollywood, the screenwriters’ union has called a strike after unsuccessful negotiations for better working conditions. The labor dispute began Tuesday at 12:01 a.m., the Los Angeles-based union Writers Guild of America (WGA) said on Twitter late Monday evening (local time).

The decision was made after six weeks of negotiations with several US streaming providers such as Netflix and Disney. The strike could now paralyze many film and television projects in Hollywood.

The negotiating committee began the process with the intention of reaching a fair agreement, it said. However, the studios’ responses were “completely inadequate given the existential crisis our writers are facing.”

Salary increases and better working conditions demanded

The authors’ union has been negotiating a new contract with the film and television producers (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) since mid-March. The writers demand, among other things, salary increases, better working conditions and higher subsidies for health and pensions. In a ballot in mid-April, the members voted with an overwhelming majority of almost 98 percent in favor of a strike if the negotiations by May 1st do not produce a result.

The authors’ association last threatened to go on strike in 2017. After weeks of negotiations between both parties, an agreement on a new contract was reached at the last moment. In 2007/2008 the writers even went on strike for 100 days. The strike almost paralyzed Hollywood: Filming on more than 60 TV shows was stopped, film projects were postponed and gala shows were cancelled. The financial loss to the entertainment industry was then estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars.

Source: Stern

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