The staff union for the Writers Guild of America (WGA) West has gone on strike with just one month before the guild enters negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
The WGA Staff Union (WGASU) announced on Tuesday that all work will cease until further notice, adding that members are expected to picket outside the WGA West offices in Los Angeles. Union staffers organized in spring 2025 and have since been “been demanding better wages and job protections in their first contract,” per Variety, and negotiations for better contracts have been ongoing since September, with the last session on January 17.
“The WGSU has repeatedly accused management of bad faith bargaining, claiming Tuesday that employers have ‘surveilled workers for union activity, terminated union supporters, and engaged in bad faith surface bargaining, showing no intention to come to an agreement on most of WGSU’s core issues,’” noted Deadline.
“These developments come after the WGSU filed a ULP charge against the WGA West with the National Labor Relations Board, suggesting that a member of the organizing committee was unlawfully fired,” the outlet added.
Protestors at a strike by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) staff ahead of Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) Negotiations on February 17, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)
A spokesperson for the WGA West said on Tuesday that they will continue to “bargain in good faith” during the strike.
“The WGAW respects the staff union’s right to strike, and will continue to bargain in good faith. During the course of 19 negotiating sessions since September, the Guild has offered the staff union comprehensive proposals with numerous union protections and improvements to compensation and working conditions,” the statement said.
“PNWSU’s allegations of unfair labor practices are without merit. The WGAW Board, WGA Negotiating Committee and executive staff will continue to prepare for the upcoming MBA negotiations, and management staff will carry on the core functions of the Guild. We look forward to a resolution of a first contract with the staff union,” it added.
The WGSU has also demanded for assurances on generative AI. While management said it has no plans to use generative AI, it feared that the staff proposal could prevent it from using future technologies.
