The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is adopting a more targeted picketing strategy in its current strike, with the aim of shutting down productions. Warren Leight, showrunner of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Writers Guild strike captain, is a key figure in this shift in tactics. The strategy emerged from the membership’s rank and file, although the guild brass now “realizes that this is a pretty powerful thing.” Leight has helped organize a series of successful labor actions, with small groups assembling within hours, whose protest lines are often respected by Teamsters, IATSE members and other sympathetic allies. The closures have crossed the country, from Loot and Good Trouble in Los Angeles to The Chi in Chicago and Evil in New York.
The WGA’s focus on shutdowns is a remarkable shift from its previous strike in 2007-08 when it found itself far more isolated and at odds with its nominal labor allies. The WGA now finds itself in alignment with the fractious Hollywood worker caucus of other unions, each nursing their own set of at times overlapping grievances, and eager to soften the ground for their own contract negotiations. On average, a lost day of production costs companies between $200,000 and $300,000 and insurance policies don’t cover shutdowns caused by the strike.
Some top company decision-makers have said that some of the in-progress productions abandoned during the strike may not return when it’s over. Considerations will include the number of remaining episodes left to film in the season, the availability of the cast and the importance of the show to its platform. However, labor experts observe that, for the writers and their guild, the shutdowns are more broadly about flexing their muscles, cultivating their alliances and lifting their spirits.
“It stops production, but it’s also a way to advertise strength and determination,” explains Georgetown professor Michael Kazin, who studies union power. Regardless, labor experts observe that, for the writers and their guild, the shutdowns are more broadly about flexing their muscles, cultivating their alliances and lifting their spirits. “Doing something as a group really maintains solidarity,” he says, and production shutdowns in the entertainment sector, requiring the cooperation of workers in other unions, reinforce camaraderie.