It’s been one month since the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) went on strike. The guild released a statement against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ (AMPTP) “divide and conquer” technique. The WGA brings up how it was used in the 07/08 strike and refers to the technique as “gaslighting” and a “lie”. This incident was when the AMPTP waited for the WGA to strike so they could make a separate deal with the Directors Guild of America (DGA)

The WGA negotiating committee pointed out that despite the AMPTP being formed in the 1980s, there have only been two strikes within the 35 years. These strikes have been only 15 years apart which highlights the lack of labor solidarity. 

The AMPTP strategy of corporate unity has been wildly successful for the companies. Labor costs have been contained in an industry where workers have tremendous power while the companies reaped billions on billions in profit, year after year. During the last 35 years, there have been only two strikes – 2007/08 and now. While the employers were united, labor has been less so. Until recently.

The DGA showed its support through a joint statement with the WGA expressing solidarity. Despite the statement, the AMPTP is saying that it couldn’t negotiate with the WGA due to its ongoing negotiations with the DGA. 

Meanwhile, The Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) stated that multiple industry workers have reached out in need of financial assistance. The MPTF is willing to help with open arms, no matter the circumstance. 

When you reach out to MPTF you’re going to have a one-on-one confidential conversation with a social worker who is going to listen and hear what is going on for you. Together we are going to co-create the next steps and explore how MPTF can help. That help might look like us providing support and a listening ear, finding and linking an industry member to a key community resource, advocating for their needs, connecting them to a support group or helping access what benefits they may be eligible for. 

Both the WGA and the MPTF are focused on supporting industry workers during this challenging time, with the WGA standing firm against the AMPTP’s divide and conquer strategy, while the MPTF provides essential assistance to those in need. The strike and its impact on the industry serve as a reminder