WGA West softens offer to Staff Union, which remains on strike
The Writers Guild of America West has softened its offer to the 110-member staff union, which has been on strike since mid-February.
But with just days to go before the WGA begins negotiations with the major studios on a new Minimum Basic Agreement, the two sides still haven’t resolved their differences. If a deal isn’t reached this weekend, the Writers Guild Staff Union could walk out of the bargaining session on Monday, forcing the WGA bargaining committee to cross a picket line to negotiate on behalf of TV and film writers.
In a memo to guild members Friday evening, Ellen Stutzman, executive director of the WGAW, said the employees union had rejected the latest offer, which amounts to $800,000 in additional wages in the first year.
“It is always a union’s right to decide when to make a deal or how long to strike,” Stutzman said. “Next week we will turn our full attention to the Guild’s most important function for its membership, which is negotiating the MBA.”
The WGSU said Stutzman did not attend the final negotiating session on Wednesday and urged her to do so this weekend.
“It’s time for you to end this strike by coming back to the table this weekend and negotiating a fair contract,” WGSU said on Instagram. “There is still an opportunity to enter this MBA negotiation cycle as a united front.”
The WGSU organized this last year and pushed for a better pay scale and job protection. Most of the workers represented make less than $84,000 a year, which they say is less than a living wage in Los Angeles.
The WGA West spends about $9 million a year on bargaining unit salaries. In the memo, Stutzman said the first-year pay increase had been increased to 4%, which would be in addition to last August’s 3% increase. Increases of 4% will follow in August 2026 and August 2027, she said.
The WGSU, meanwhile, said the parties have made “real progress” but also that WGAW management had issued an ultimatum requiring staff to “drop core union issues such as seniority and job protection.”
“We are disheartened that management continues to strike us through bad faith tactics,” WGSU wrote.
According to Stutzman, WGSU has not rejected several demands, including the right to strike during the term of the agreement and a contract term that aligns with the MBA negotiation cycle. Such a term would increase the influence of the employee union in any bargaining cycle, as it could threaten to strike during talks with the studios.
The staff union is also seeking the reinstatement of three employees who, according to the WGAW, were dismissed for urgent reasons. The WGSU claims they were unlawfully dismissed for union activities.
