After months of talk it's now official. Barring any last minute wheeling and dealing, the Writers Guild of America members have voted to go on strike as of 12:01am on November 5, 2007.
Major sticking points in the contract negotiation process are DVD residuals and new media (internet, cell phones, etc) compensation. Members of the WGA are expected to be picketing outside of studios beginning Monday, November 5th. The WGA boasts 12,000 members and the organization is calling on all their members to sign up for picket line shifts.
The last time the WGA went on strike was back in 1988 when the writers held out for 22 weeks, which had a huge economic impact on the industry. With the WGA calling for another work stoppage, it's television that'll feel the strike's immediate impact more so than feature films. Studios have been building up a supply of movie scripts in the event of a strike, while weekly television isn't afforded that same luxury.
