White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre canceled an appearance on The View because the writers are striking for better pay. A White House statement read, “Out of respect for striking writers, we pulled down our scheduled appearance on The View. President Biden and his entire administration sincerely hope that the writers’ strike gets resolved – and writers are given the fair deal they deserve – as soon as possible.”
Writers have been striking across the country for the past few months and the situation appears to be worsening. The Writers Guild of America called a strike in May when negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers ended without agreement. Chris Keyser, a negotiating committee co-chair, said that production companies were making billions from streaming services, but writers are paid less.
In the latest developments, some actors are pledging to strike if they don’t receive a good deal in new contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, representing artists in the entertainment industry, is in talks with the productions union until mid-July, having extended past the deadline of June 30. Meryl Streep is among the actors threatening to down tools if negotiations fail.
The last time there was a major strike in Hollywood was in 2008, and it cost around $2.5 billion to the Californian economy. The strike lasted more than 100 days and a report by the Milken Institute said it led to the loss of more than 37,000 jobs. The action was considered to have contributed significantly to an economic downturn in the Golden State. The Anderson Forecast of UCLA projected that the strike would cost LA County around $380 million, but the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. estimated a much higher impact of $2.5 billion lost.
The 2023 writers’ strike has affected several shows, causing delays and cancelations to The Handmaid’s Tale, Stranger Things, and other popular programs.
