WGA West is being urged by state senators to reach a deal with striking staffers

The Writers Guild of America has reached a deal with the studios, but most of the local Western chapter’s staff remains on strike.

In a letter dated Wednesday, California Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas urged the guild to end the 51-day work stoppage.

“Every day that this strike continues is a day that the Guild is not at full capacity to carry out its mission,” Smallwood-Cuevas wrote. “I therefore urge you to end this strike by accepting the WGSU’s invitation to reach a fair deal.”

About 110 members of the Writers Guild Staff Union left their jobs on February 17 after five months of repeated negotiations failed to produce a contract.

The staff demands better pay and job security. A major sticking point is WGSU’s requirement for seniority protections in promotions and dismissals, which staffers say is necessary to combat favoritism.

The WGA West has said it is offering a fair deal, including $800,000 in salary increases. The two sides spoke on March 17 and 24, but failed to reach a breakthrough. The WGA West has told members that the strike will end when the WGSU accepts a deal or decides to return to work without one.

The striking staffers lost health care coverage on April 1 because more than a month had passed without a qualifying job.

Four members of the Los Angeles City Council signed a letter of support for the WGSU in March: Eunisses Hernandez, Katy Yaroslavsky, Hugo Soto-Martinez and Tim McOsker. Smallwood-Cuevas endorsed WGSU’s demands in her letter to leaders.

“They deserve the standard union contract provisions they fight for, including a fair pay scale, termination protections and seniority in promotions,” she wrote. “A fair contract is not just a matter of basic dignity for these workers; it is essential to ensure that guild staff can do the best possible work on behalf of WGAW members.”