2023 Hollywood labor disputes

2023 Hollywood labor disputes
WGA and SAG-AFTRA members marching in unison,
June 2023
DateMay 2 – November 9, 2023 (2023-05-02 – 2023-11-09)
(6 months and 7 days, or 191 days)
Location
Caused by
Goals
  • Pay raises for screenwriters and actors
  • Safeguarding of jobs against advancements in AI technology
Methods
Resulted in
  • WGA tentative agreement reached on September 24 and strike ended on September 27; contract ratified on October 9.[1]
  • SAG-AFTRA tentative agreement reached on November 8 and strike ended on November 9; contract ratified on December 5.[2]
Parties
Lead figures

Carol Lombardini[4]

Number
SAG-AFTRA: 160,000+[5]
WGA: 24,000+ (West), 5,000+ (East) (2019)
350+ production companies, streaming services, and broadcast networks

From May 2 to November 9, 2023, a series of long labor disputes within the film and television industries of the United States took place, mainly focused on the strikes of the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA. It was the second time two Hollywood labor unions were striking simultaneously — the first having occurred in 1960 – and as such, the American news media named this phenomenon the "Hollywood double strike",[6][7][8] and surpassed the 1960 dual strike as well.[9][10] By November 9, 2023, both the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA had reached tentative deals with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and ended their strikes.[2]

In July, The New York Times predicted that with the actor's union joining, "viewers are likely to notice the effects of the dual walkouts more broadly within the next couple of months".[11] Both labor disputes have caused the largest interruption to the American film and television industries since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.[12][13][14]

On September 24, 2023, WGA suspended picketing upon reaching a tentative agreement.[15] Following a vote, the union leadership voted to end the strike on September 27, 2023, at 12:01 a.m. PDT.[1] On November 8, 2023, SAG-AFTRA reached a tentative agreement and the strike ended on November 9, at 12:01 a.m. PDT.[2]

  1. ^ a b "Writers Guild Strike to End Wednesday: Leadership Votes to Conclude Historic Work Stoppage". The Hollywood Reporter. September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Kilkenny, Katie (November 9, 2023). "STRIKE OVER: Actors Make a Deal With Studios After 118 Days". hollywoodreport.com. Hollywood Report. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  3. ^ "Council | Writers Guild of America, East". Writers Guild of America, East. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  4. ^ "Carol Lombardini". Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  5. ^ "Hollywood Actors Strike: TV and Movie Actors Vote for Biggest Walkout in Four Decades". New York Times. July 13, 2023. Archived from the original on July 17, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  6. ^ Agence France Presse. "Hollywood 'Double Strike': What It Means". Barron's. Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Archived from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  7. ^ Mason, Melanie; Cadelago, Christopher; White, Jeremy B. (July 12, 2023). "Hollywood strikes are escalating. Los Angeles' mayor is playing it cool". Politico. Archived from the original on July 13, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  8. ^ Beckett, Lois (July 13, 2023). "Hollywood actors announce strike in first joint action with writers in more than 63 years". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 13, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  9. ^ Oliver Darcy (August 31, 2023). "Hollywood hoped the writers strike would end with summer. But a deal remains nowhere in sight". CNN Business. Archived from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  10. ^ Jennifer Liu (August 9, 2023). "Hollywood strikes have already had a $3 billion impact on California's economy, experts say: It's causing 'a lot of hardship'". CNBC. Archived from the original on August 31, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  11. ^ Koblin, John (July 13, 2023). "What the Hollywood Actors and Writers Strikes Mean for TV and Movies". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  12. ^ "James Cromwell shows support for striking writers on social media". May 23, 2023. Archived from the original on July 19, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  13. ^ "The 2023 SAG-AFTRA Strike: A Significant Labor Dispute in Hollywood". Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  14. ^ Coyle, Jake (July 17, 2023). "Hollywood plunges into all-out war on the heels of pandemic and a streaming revolution". Washington Post. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  15. ^ "It's A Deal! WGA & AMPTP Reach Tentative Agreement To End Writers Strike; Picketing Suspended". Deadline. September 24, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.


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