Are you an avid television viewer? The champion of entertainment trivia on your pub quiz team? Love streaming and want to support the arts? Time to offer your voice, and resiliency funds, to the writers' strike picket line.
On Monday, May 1, the Writers Guild of America (WGA)(opens in a new tab), the national organization representing television and film screenwriters across the U.S., voted to call an industry strike, following six weeks of failed contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP)(opens in a new tab). It's an updated version of the 100-day-long WGA strike(opens in a new tab) that lasted from November 2007 to February 2008 — a call for fair pay which resulted in the shortening of many primetime TV shows, the stalling of movie productions, and a massive loss of staff, wages, and industry revenue.
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As Hollywood writers and their supporters — including the celebrities(opens in a new tab) heading some of network television's biggest hits — continue a wave of on-the-ground picketing, WGA members and strike organizers online are encouraging supporters to help the entertainment workers beyond the strike, as well, by amplifying the call for a fair deal and contributing to a financial safety net.
The WGA currently represents 11,500 writers across the entertainment industry. Under strike rules, members have ceased all work on current shows and won't go into negotiations on future projects. For some, that also means they'll soon stop getting paid(opens in a new tab), and others will also lose crucial benefits should the strike continue.
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While some showrunners and late night hosts have pledged to continue paying writer wages out of pocket(opens in a new tab) while the union strikes, it's not a widespread industry practice.
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And the effects of the strike will reverberate far beyond the writers' rooms(opens in a new tab). As productions halt, so too will the opportunities — and pay — for other industry workers, including cinematographers, hair and makeup teams, and even catering crews.
Rather than calling for an industry boycott, some WGA members are asking those who can't lend a hand or lift a sign in person to donate to industry-wide resiliency funds instead — a form of mutual aid for the people that make Hollywood's glimmer possible, including those behind the scenes.
How to donate to the Entertainment Community Fund
The Entertainment Community Fund(opens in a new tab), formerly known as the Actors Fund, was founded in 1882 to support the needs of entertainment professionals at a time of social and charitable snubbing of the theater industry — many of these working artists and their families were denied charity due to their low standing.
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In the 141 years since, the organization has expanded its services to provide an array of programs for anyone working in film, theater, television, music, opera, radio, and dance. The fund offers direct social services and financial assistance(opens in a new tab), housing support(opens in a new tab), health insurance and benefits counseling(opens in a new tab), and more.
Contribute what you can for film and television support programs
While guild members can access loans or grants through WGA West and WGA East strike funds, as well as the WGA West Good and Welfare Emergency Assistance Fund(opens in a new tab), donations to the Entertainment Community Fund broaden the availability of emergency financial assistance for other Hollywood employees and crew.
On the fund's donation portal, donors can designate their contributions specifically for programs offered to film and television professionals.
Other ways to support the strike include signing a letter of support(opens in a new tab) for the guild's contract negotiation, donating to food and practical support drives(opens in a new tab) helping power the picket lines, or checking out the WGA Strike Social Media Toolkit(opens in a new tab) to join the #WGAStrong and #WGAStrike cause. Learn more about the WGA strike on the guild's website(opens in a new tab).
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