Film and television writers in the Writers Guild of America (WGA) in the United States are to strike on and from May Day in a move that will shut down the country’s entertainment industry.
The WGA announced last Wednesday that its members have voted by 98 per cent in favour of strike action with an 80 per cent turn-out.
Some 9,000 writers, who are members of the WGA affiliates the Writers’ Guilds (WGA-East and WGA-West) called the walk out after their union failed to reach an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
The WGA Negotiations Committee issued a statement after the vote: ‘Our membership has spoken.
‘Writers have expressed our collective strength, solidarity, and the demand for meaningful change in overwhelming numbers.
‘Armed with this undeniable demonstration of unity and resolve, we will continue to work at the negotiating table to achieve a fair contract for all writers.’
The unions say the AMPTP which is negotiating on behalf of production companies, is refusing to make meaningful responses on the core economic issues in the — screen, episodic television and comedy writing.
Ellen Stutzman, Chief Negotiator for WGA, said: ‘Every aspect of the contract that makes it possible to survive in this business – pension, health, minimum pay, residuals – has been won by previous generations of writers who took a stand when it was necessary.
‘This week, our members have shown that they are willing to do so again to protect the future of their profession.
‘The unions are demanding better pay as the rise of streaming services has led to shorter employment and lower pay for many writers.
‘In addition, global streaming services currently underpay ‘‘residual’’ payments to writers for reuse in international markets. This means that a television show on a streaming platform can be a global success without writers being fairly compensated for this reuse.’
Lowell Peterson, National Executive Director of the WGA East said: ‘These negotiations are fundamentally about the ability of writers to build and sustain careers.
‘The transformation of how content is commissioned, produced, distributed, and paid has undermined our members’ ability to earn a reasonable living, and we need to address these basic challenges in a meaningful, lasting way.
‘We are speaking with one voice to demand better jobs in TV and film.’
Meanwhile, Teamsters at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) on Friday secured their very first contract following a two-week-long strike and 10 months of negotiations. Workers unanimously voted to ratify the contract.
The new six-year contract includes wage increases averaging 33 per cent, with a 22 per cent increase to take effect from July 2023, wages increased retroactively to October 2022, strong benefits, longevity bonuses, and more.
Regina Santos, RISD custodian and Local Teamsters 251 member said: ‘After months of negotiations and multiple strikes, we are relieved to finally have a strong contract.
‘We are very grateful to our Teamster leaders, RISD students, community members, and everyone who stood in solidarity with us on the picket line and helped us get a fair contract.’
Matt Taibi, Local 251 Secretary-Treasurer and Eastern Region International Vice President said: ‘Strikes work – and this victory makes that abundantly clear. RISD workers stood side-by-side in unity and demanded higher pay and better benefits, despite pushback from RISD leadership.
‘We are grateful to these workers for their commitment in holding the line and fighting for the contract they deserve.
‘RISD Teamsters authorised a one-day unfair labour practice (ULP) strike in late March after Local 251 filed ULP charges against RISD for failing to pay a general wage increase and changing starting rates for workers without providing them with notice or an opportunity to bargain.
‘When RISD continued to refuse to bargain with workers, they headed to the picket line indefinitely on April 3rd.’
Elsewhere, nurses at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Centre in Gresham, Oregon voted to unionise with the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA). The two-day election held April 5-6 was overseen by the National Labour Relations Board.
A statement from the ONA said: ‘With their vote, the 360 nurses at the medical centre will have more power to protect their community’s access to safe, high-quality healthcare; restore respect for frontline workers in the Legacy Health System; and gain a voice in decisions that impact their community’s health and welfare.
‘Being part of a union of nurses feel more than right. In this moment, it feels necessary in the face of corporate greed and the profit-over-patients business model that has become healthcare in America.
‘ONA nurses at Legacy Mount Hood are also leading the campaign to save the hospital’s family birth centre. In March, Legacy attempted to close the centre with little warning – sparking near-universal opposition from local nurses, doctors, patients, elected leaders and the Oregon Health Authority.
‘State health officials ultimately denied Legacy’s application to shut down the centre, saying Legacy’s decision to close the family birth centre did not meet the needs of patients or community members, and expressing serious concerns about patient safety.
‘Nurses and other healthcare providers at Legacy Mount Hood serve approximately 275,000 people in East Multnomah and Clackamas counties, including diverse, fast-growing and historically under served communities.
‘The family birth centre is the only hospital birthplace option in Oregon’s fourth-largest city and the closest option for families in East Multnomah County. It serves more women seeking urgent obstetrical care than any other facility in the Legacy Health System.
‘As nurses, our community counts on us to deliver and advocate for the safest, highest-quality care. Unionising gives us the voice at the table that we deserve as professionals. We look forward to working collaboratively for safer staffing and sound clinical reasoning in decisions that affect our workplace and patients.
‘Now the nurses will move to bargain a first contract with Legacy executives that strengthens local decision-making in healthcare, improves community safety, and restores respect for frontline nurses and health professionals.’
- Unite Here which represents over 1,000 New Orleans hospitality workers at the Caesars Superdome, Smoothie King Centre and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Centre has reached a deal with employer Sodexo to increase wages and improve benefits.
Unite Here stated: ‘The new contract is the culmination of a year-long campaign by Unite Here Local 23 to sign up workers and bargain for a deal that would apply to all of the cooks, bartenders, concession stand workers and others who work at all three major city venues.
‘The contract is the first for newly-organised workers at the Superdome and Smoothie King Centre, and it represents new terms for Sodexo employees at the Convention Centre, whose contract expired at the end of last year.
‘The terms of the new three-year contract include a minimum starting wage of $16 per hour, up from between $10.50-$11 an hour, for non-tipped positions.
‘The terms will mean immediate raises of $5 an hour for some longer-serving Sodexo New Orleans employees, with others getting $4 an hour more on average over three years.’
