labor
Writers Guild Calls a Strike Authorization Vote
The Writers Guild is taking its first step toward a potential industry strike. The union has set a strike authorization vote, with online polls opening April 11 at 8:30 p.m. and closing April 17 at 12 p.m., the guild announced to members on Monday. While a strike authorization vote does not ensure a writers strike […]
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Actors’ Equity Issues Strike Threat for Broadway National Tours (Exclusive)
Actors’ Equity has issued a strike threat against The Broadway League. The union, which represents more than 51,000 stage managers and actors, has been bargaining with The Broadway League, which represents industry producers, presenters and general managers, since mid-January to create a new touring contract. Now, Actors’ Equity has authorized executive director Al Vincent Jr., […]
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How Networks and Streamers Are Prepping for a Potential Writers Strike
As the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers continue negotiating over a new contract, the prospect of a labor strike — the first for writers in 15 years — looms large. The guild has a wide-ranging set of priorities for the negotiations, ranging from higher minimum pay and expanded […]
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Hollywood to End COVID-19 Safety Agreement That Enabled Pandemic-Era Return to Work
The COVID-19 guidelines that for the past three years kept casts and crews safe during production amid the pandemic will expire May 12. The current iteration of the pact, negotiated by industry unions and top studios and streaming companies represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), will remain in place through […]
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Hollywood’s COVID-19 Safety Protocols Agreement May Be on Its Way Out
When Hollywood’s return-to-work agreement expires on April 1, will this be the end of COVID-19 guidelines that have been in place for the past three years? Sources in the industry believe so and have speculated for weeks that, at the very least, major changes might be coming next month, when the current version of the […]
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Potential Writers Strike Presents Disruption (and Opportunity) to Global Content Creators
If Hollywood writers go on strike — a possibility as we close in on the May 1 deadline without a new deal between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) — the impact will be felt far beyond New York and Los Angeles. Around the world, producers and distribution […]
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Directors Guild Sets Leadership to Helm Member Outreach Efforts During 2023 Negotiations
The Directors Guild of America is ramping up its member mobilization efforts ahead of its 2023 negotiations with the studios and streamers. The union, which represents thousands of directors as well as unit production managers, stage managers and others, has appointed its former presidents Paris Barclay and Thomas Schlamme co-chairs of its new outreach team, […]
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Actors’ Equity Launches Political Action Committee Ahead of 2024 Election (Exclusive)
Actors’ Equity Association is forming its own political action committee. The union for more than 51,000 stage managers and actors will be launching the PAC in the first week of April, with the goal of contributing money to federal candidates who support Actors’ Equity priorities. These include more arts funding, expanded health care coverage, protecting […]
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‘SNL’ Postproduction Workers Ratify First Contract, Officially Calling Off Strike Threat
The strike threat on Saturday Night Live has officially passed. Postproduction workers on the show who are unionized with the Motion Picture Editors Guild (MPEG) have officially ratified their first contract with the NBC live comedy show, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. The bargaining unit of 12-20 staffers (the number of those working on the […]
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Writers Guild Says It’s Pushing to Prohibit AI-Generated Works Under Contract in Negotiations
While the Writers Guild of America is at the negotiating table with studios and streamers hammering out the industry’s approach to this evolving technology, the union has clarified its stance on works created with the help of artificial intelligence. The guild stated that it is seeking in these talks to ban AI from being used […]
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Reality TV Workers Launch Union Drive at ‘The Kitchen’ and ‘Trisha’s Southern Kitchen’ Producer
A group of producers at BSTV Entertainment, the shingle behind Food Network projects like The Kitchen and Trisha’s Southern Kitchen, is attempting to unionize. A majority of the collection of 19 workers (whom the guild is calling writer-producers) at the Montclair, New Jersey-based development and production company have signed union cards in an attempt to […]
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‘SNL’ Strike Threat Lifted for Now as Postproduction Workers Reach Tentative Deal With Management
Saturday Night Live fans may breathe a sigh of relief. An impasse on contract negotiations that led to postproduction workers threatening a strike has been resolved, at least for now, as labor and NBCUniversal management have reached a tentative deal. The workers, who had been negotiating their first contract as a union allied with the […]
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