After 148 days, Hollywood can rest easy knowing that the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike is over. Beginning in April of this year, members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) expressed concerns about their working conditions. 

The WGA has been requesting increased wages, improved pension and health plans, and improved working conditions such as less time crunch – a major problem that has not only been affecting writers, but the entertainment industry entirely.  Meeting strict, tight deadlines is difficult for many writers in the competitive industry. AI is also a concern, as writers are worried that companies would prefer to use AI to write scripts rather than the writers themselves. AI can efficiently write scripts for free, worrying writers about their job stability. Writers argued that in lieu of using AI to completely write a script, its functions and features can be used to complement scripts that they themselves write.   Streaming is another concern for writers. Writers receive a significantly lower commission for shows that are streamed, compared to shows on cable TV.

After failure at the bargaining table, the WGA voted to go on strike beginning May 2. The strike affected many shows, including Stranger Things and The Last of Us. Writers from both shows were participating in the strike so scripts for the shows were unable to be written, resulting in upcoming seasons for both shows being delayed.  The strike lasted long because the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) refused to negotiate with the WGA until later dates. Prior to the beginning of the strike but after the vote for the strike, the AMPTP had negotiated with the WGA, but no agreement was made so the strike was put into effect. 

Fortunately, on Sept. 24, the WGA was able to reach a tentative agreement with the AMPTP to fulfill the requests that were mentioned at an earlier time. On Sept. 27, the strike finally ended, and on October 9, a contract for the conditions was discussed with WGA members. 99% of members voted to ratify the contract, officially ending the four-month long dispute. The 2023 Writers strike was the guild’s largest strike since the 2007 Writers’ Strike. This is not the first time that the WGA has gone on strike and it most likely won’t be the last. Even with this situation settled, AI still proves to be problematic in the bigger picture as big studios like Disney continue to use it for their productions Time crunches will most likely continue to be an issue as streaming grows, creating a higher demand for frequent production. Unless companies improve work conditions for their employees, another strike within the next couple of years is possible.  The 2023 Writers Strike may be over, but who knows when problems in the work environment could easily come crawling back soon.