Hollywood studio executives have revealed their endgame in the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, and it is quite evil. The 2023 WGA strike has been underway since May 2 and marks the first time the union has initiated a strike since 2007. Unfortunately, the strike was necessary after months of negotiations for a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed to provide satisfactory results. The plight of writers in Hollywood has grown increasingly concerning, with many studios failing to pay writers a liveable wage despite making millions off of their work. Hence, when it came time to form a new contract with the AMPTP, the labor union had many understandable demands.
The WGA was seeking improvements in compensation, better job security, a solution to the loss of residuals from the rise of streaming, and for studios to agree to refrain from using artificial intelligence (A.I.) in the writing process or training those systems on writers’ work. Almost two and a half months later, there is still no end in sight for the WGA strike. At this pace, the 2023 strike could run longer than the 2007 – 2008 strike, which came with an estimated economic impact of over $2 billion. However, until Hollywood agrees to begin paying its writers, the strike will continue and will further impact TV and film productions.
The strike may last longer than anticipated, though, now that the AMPTP has reportedly revealed its shockingly cruel endgame for WGA members.
The AMPTP wants the WGA to “bleed out”
As reported by Deadline, the AMPTP allegedly plans to wait out the WGA strike. Several anonymous Hollywood executives claimed that there aren’t even plans to begin negotiating with the WGA until late fall. They indicated the hope is that, in the meantime, WGA members who are striking will go bankrupt and “start losing their apartments and losing their houses.” An anonymous executive stated that the AMPTP is hoping the WGA members’ situation will grow so desperate that they’ll demand the WGA leaders end the strike to avoid spending the holidays potentially broke and houseless.
The AMPTP has denied the report, stating that those executives quoted in the Deadline article do not represent the organization. There’s also the potential that these executives are merely bluffing in an attempt to panic the WGA. However, the report could still potentially reflect the sentiments of some Hollywood studios and executives. Additionally, the AMPTP’s failure to negotiate with the WGA has further raised skepticism about its plans. If this truly is Hollywood’s plan, it is nothing short of evil. It shows that these executives are truly soulless and greedy and are willing to drive thousands of innocent individuals to financial ruin just because they vouched for better conditions for themselves and others in the industry.
While it’s a sinister plan, it’s also not a very smart one. Several users took to Twitter to point out that many writers were already broke and barely able to afford living expenses before the strike occurred. Plus, writers on strike do have some financial aid options ranging from the writer’s strike fund to grants to welfare. Threats like these from studios may even encourage further donations and support for the WGA strike.
Lastly, the strike impacts Hollywood as a whole, not just the WGA. The strike is costing Hollywood an estimated tens of millions per day, which the industry really can’t afford. It’s disturbing that these studios would potentially rather see the industry crumble under the economic toll of a months-long strike than simply agree to pay its writers.
(via Deadline, featured image: Nickelodeon)
