New York screenwriters on strike, evening shows cut

2023-05-04 19:17:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Members of the Screenwriters Guild of America East, a union representing screenwriters for motion pictures and television shows in New York, are on strike, demanding better working conditions.

This is the third day of the writers' strike, a move that has slowed the entire industry and forced many TV shows to halt production.

In addition to other demands, the union is seeking an increase in the minimum wage for screenwriters and an increase in the number of those who write the script of a film or television show.

The screenwriters say that in the past these conditions have been respected. But they complain that the digital age has changed their treatment.

"We are living in an economy with short-term contracts. A contract you could once live with is now one of your four commitments a year. It's not steady work you can count on. This is not the right way to live, to create financial security. Screenwriters used to have financial security, but not anymore. We're trying to bring it back," says CA Johnson, screenwriter.

"Screenwriters should be paid what they deserve and we should not be replaced by technology. No matter how advanced, technology cannot be better than a human being ," says screenwriter Alex English.

"Screenwriters are my favorite people. Those who are with us and those who are no longer alive. My success as an actress is because of them. 80 percent of what I love about our culture comes from them," says actress Cynthia Nixon.

In the last strike by the same union, in 2007 and 2008, it took three months to break the deadlock.

There are still no plans for talks between the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios and production companies.

"I understand that now there are many more television productions. Once the number of screenwriters was less. But now there is no investment in their development. In the old days, you learned the craft from more experienced screenwriters. Now they want to eliminate this. They are harming others and themselves", says Michael Winship, president of the union "Society of Screenwriters in the East of America".

All night shows were cancelled. The monologues and jokes of the leaders of these shows are prepared by the screenwriters.

NBC's "The Tonight Show," Comedy Central's "Daily Show," ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," CBS's "The Late Show" and NBC's "Late Night" were scheduled to air this week.

"Saturday Night Live" of the NBC network, on Saturday, instead of the new episode, will rebroadcast an old episode, while the two remaining episodes of the season may not be realized at all.

The impact of the strike on series and movies will not be immediately noticeable, although some projects, such as Showtime's Yellowjackets, have stopped production for future seasons.

If the strike continues through the summer, fall TV schedules may change.

Meanwhile, productions with finished scripts can continue shooting./VOA