Writers Guild of America members at PBS authorized a strike of PBS. The strike will happen if management does not agree to a fair deal before the current contract expires at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Nov. 21. This decision came after the network failed to come to the negotiation table for weeks.
Of the 94-member bargaining unit represented, 100% of them in favor of the strike authorization. This figure accounted for 83% participation by members. Both the Council of the Writers Guild of America East and the Board of Directors of the Writers Guild of America West both unanimously approved the strike authorization vote.
There are currently 150 freelance writers who work at the three top PBS affiliates. The guild is calling for animation writers to have full union protections, writer-producers to have fair compensation, made-for-new-media programs be given WGA coverage and for there to be "reasonable residual payments for reuse on streaming services."
According to a petition that was delivered to PBS management, WGA has been waiting since July for WGBH, THIRTEEN and PBS SoCal to meet. However, the PBS employers did not come to the table with their proposals or respond to the WGA until the end of September for a contract that supposed to expire on Oct. 9. More than 1,250 guild members signed the petition asking PBS to engage in negotiation rather than stalling, including John Oliver, Seth Meyers, Joel Kim Booster, Robert Carlock, David Mandel, Amber Ruffin, David Simon, Lilly Wachowski and Beau Willimon.
"For writers, PBS has always been a cherished friend and teacher," WGA East president Lisa Takeuchi Cullen said in a statement back in October. "We believe the demands the WGA has presented will allow PBS to succeed in a time when public television is needed more than ever, while ensuring fair treatment for all its writers."