2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike

2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike
Striking WGA members at Fox Plaza, Los Angeles, on November 7, 2007
DateNovember 5, 2007 – February 12, 2008 (2007-11-05 – 2008-02-12)
(3 months and 7 days, or 99 days)
Location
United States
Caused byLack of agreement on a new contract between Writers Guild of America and AMPTP
GoalsIncreased DVD residuals, jurisdiction over and residuals from new media
MethodsPicketing, protest
Resulted inAgreement to end strike reached on February 12, 2008
Parties
Writers Guild of America, East
Writers Guild of America West
AMPTP

From November 5, 2007, to February 12, 2008, all 12,000 film and television screenwriters of the American labor unions Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), and Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) went on strike.[1][2][3]

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike primarily sought increased residual rates for DVD sales and jurisdiction over and residuals from new media. It was targeted at the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), a trade association representing the interests of 397 American film and television producers.[4] The most influential of these were eleven corporations: CBS (Les Moonves), MGM (Harry E. Sloan), NBCUniversal (Jeff Zucker), The Weinstein Company (Harvey and Bob Weinstein), Lionsgate (Jon Feltheimer), News Corporation (Peter Chernin), Paramount Pictures (Brad Grey), Liberty Media/Starz (Chris McGurk), Sony Pictures (Michael Lynton), The Walt Disney Company (Bob Iger), and Warner Bros. (Barry Meyer).[5]

Negotiators for the striking writers reached a tentative agreement on February 8, 2008, and the boards of both guilds unanimously approved the deal on February 10, 2008.[6] Striking writers voted on February 12, 2008, on whether to lift the restraining order, with 92.5% voting to end the strike.[7] On February 26, the WGA announced that the contract had been ratified with a 93.6% approval among WGA members.[8] The Writers Guild later requested a court order seeking that the agreement be honored and implemented.

The guilds were on strike for 14 weeks and 2 days (100 days).[9] In contrast, the previous strike in 1988, the longest in the history of the Guild, lasted 21 weeks and 6 days (153 days) and cost the American entertainment industry an estimated $500 million.[10][11] According to a National Public Radio (NPR) report filed on February 12, 2008, the strike cost the economy of Los Angeles an estimated $1.5 billion. A report from the UCLA Anderson School of Management put the loss at $380 million, while economist Jack Kyser put the loss at $2.1 billion.[12][13] The Milken Institute estimated the losses at $2.1 billion ($20 million per day) and 38,000 jobs.[14]

The big win for the Writers Guild was jurisdiction over new media, which was precedent-setting. Streamers would have to hire WGA writers on shows over certain budgets. Other than that, they received a new percentage payment on the distributor's gross for digital distribution based on the deal that the WGA made during the strike.[15]

  1. ^ Horiuchi, Vince (November 4, 2007). "Writers strike to hit TV first - and hard". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  2. ^ "Strike over, Hollywood writers head back to work". CNN.com. February 13, 2008. Archived from the original on April 13, 2008. Retrieved May 6, 2008.
  3. ^ Handel, Jonathan (2011). Hollywood on Strike!: An Industry at War in the Internet Age. Los Angeles, CA: Hollywood Analytics. p. 580. ISBN 978-1-4382-3385-7. Archived from the original on July 12, 2001. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
  4. ^ "Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers". AMPTP. Archived from the original on August 8, 2010. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
  5. ^ "Hollywood Moguls Claim 'Common Goals'". deadlinehollywooddaily.com. Deadline Hollywood Daily. Archived from the original on April 15, 2009.
  6. ^ Littleton, Cynthia; McNary, Dave (February 10, 2008). "Showrunners back to work Monday". Variety. Archived from the original on February 13, 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2008.
  7. ^ Finke, Nikki (February 12, 2008). "Strike Over: Hollywood Back to Work!". Deadline. Archived from the original on February 21, 2008. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  8. ^ "Letter from the Presidents". WGA. February 26, 2008. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved February 26, 2008.
  9. ^ "The 100-Day Writers' Strike: A Timeline". The New York Times. February 12, 2008. Archived from the original on February 14, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2008.
  10. ^ "Hollywood Writers Go on Strike Over New-media Pay". Los Angeles. Agence France Press. November 4, 2007. Archived from the original on August 25, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  11. ^ "Consumer Price Index Calculator". MinneapolisFed.org. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Archived from the original on January 15, 2008.
  12. ^ "Writers Vote to End Strike". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017.
  13. ^ "Hollywood Writers Return to Work After Ending Strike". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009.
  14. ^ Horn, John (May 1, 2023). "TV and Movie Writers Strike over 'Gig Economy' Conditions As Talks Break Down. What's at Stake in the WGA Walkout". LAist. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023. What was the economic impact? The Milken Institute estimated: $2.1 billion in economic losses Net loss of 37,700 jobs directly and indirectly tied to the entertainment industry. Those 2007-08 losses worked out to about $20 million a day, or close to $30 million in today's dollars. The financial and job loss estimate includes not only lost pay for screenwriters, but also for people who work in production, and businesses that either cater to or depend on production: everything from costume and prop rental companies to caterers and equipment rental outfits.
  15. ^ Carr, David (February 12, 2008). "Who Won the Writers Strike?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 8, 2017.
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