Hollywood Labor Strikes

The Power of Collective Bargaining

Hollywood’s creative workforce is largely organized into powerful labor unions, or guilds, that represent the interests of their members. The most prominent among these are the Writers Guild of America (WGA), the Directors Guild of America (DGA), and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). Every few years, these guilds must negotiate a new master contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the trade association that represents the major studios and production companies. When these high-stakes negotiations break down over key issues like compensation, working conditions, or creative rights, a guild’s membership can vote to authorize a strike. A strike is a collective work stoppage and the unions’ most powerful leverage, effectively shutting down film and television production until a fair deal can be reached.

The Writer’s Strike: A Fight for Value and Viability

Historically, the WGA has been the most strike-prone of the major guilds. Writer’s Strikes are typically driven by existential threats to the profession of writing. Key issues have consistently revolved around fair compensation in the face of new technologies. In the 1980s, the fight was over residuals for home video sales. The landmark 100-day strike of 2007-2008 was fought to establish jurisdiction and residuals for content distributed on the internet—the dawn of the streaming era. The 2023 strike confronted the new challenges of the streaming model, such as the erosion of the traditional TV writers’ room, and the emerging threat of artificial intelligence being used to replace human writers. These strikes cause massive economic disruption but are seen by writers as necessary battles to ensure their creative and financial viability for future generations.

Director’s Guild and Other Production Strikes

While the DGA has a reputation for smoother negotiations, a Director’s Guild Strike would be equally potent, halting productions industry-wide. Directors’ concerns often center on creative rights, jurisdiction over new forms of media, and on-set safety. The term Production Strike can also refer to labor actions by other crucial below-the-line unions, such as the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), which represents a vast array of craftspeople including cinematographers, editors, costumers, and set builders. When multiple guilds strike simultaneously, the impact is magnified. The concurrent WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023 marked the first time both guilds had been on strike together since 1960, bringing Hollywood to a near-total standstill.