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Thousands of writers and actors are on strike — and hot labor summer might just be Hollywood’s most important story this year.
It is, after all, the first time in 63 years that both the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) are on strike at the same time. The pursuit of fairer labor contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) has led 160,000 actors and performers, alongside 11,000 writers, to step away from writing and production.
The stakes are incredibly high, and though the specifics of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA’s demands may differ slightly, they are united in what matters: making it possible for the people who write and act in our media to make a living.
The AMPTP, which represents major studios, TV networks, and streaming providers, has thus far refused to budge — a move that is estimated to cost the local economy over $3 billion and has kept most film and TV productions in limbo. And with members of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA prepared to strike for as long as it takes to get a fair contract, you might be wondering: How did we get here?
Here’s a full timeline of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.
March 14, 2023: “Writers Are Not Keeping Up.”
A week before negotiations between the WGA and AMPTP are set to begin, the WGA publishes a report titled “Writers Are Not Keeping Up.”
In it, the union argues that despite rising profits in media creation and distribution, writers are falling behind. Writing rooms are getting smaller and work for shorter amounts of time, and median writer pay has fallen by 23%, adjusted for inflation, over the last decade.
“The companies have leveraged the streaming transition to underpay writers, creating more precarious, lower-paid models for writers’ work,” the report concludes. “Our 2023 negotiations must significantly address writer compensation.”
March 20, 2023: WGA and AMPTP Negotiations Begin
Just over a month before the WGA’s contract with the AMPTP expires, the WGA begins negotiations with the AMPTP. The WGA is led by chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman and Negotiating Committee co-chairs David A. Goodman and Chris Keyser. Its president, Carol Lombardini, represents the AMPTP.
April 17, 2023: WGA Authorizes a Strike
A few weeks later, and with little headway made on key issues in the contract negotiations, WGA members vote to authorize a strike. With 97.85% voting yes, the authorization marks the highest margin in the union’s history.
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May 1, 2023: The WGA Contract Ends
At midnight of May 1, the WGA’s contract with the AMPTP expires. The union announces a strike effective 12:01 AM, Tuesday, May 2 — its first in 15 years.
The WGA also releases a document listing its proposals for the AMPTP and how the studios had responded.
May 2, 2023: The WGA Strike Begins, Late Night Shows Go Dark
“Here is what all writers know: the companies have broken this business,” reads a letter penned by the WGA Negotiating Committee for union members on the first day of the WGA Strike.
“They have taken so much from the very people, the writers, who have made them wealthy. But what they cannot take from us is each other, our solidarity, our mutual commitment to save ourselves and this profession that we love. We had hoped to do this through reasonable conversation. Now we will do it through struggle. For the sake of our present and our future, we have been given no other choice.”
In an interview on CNN, a company overseen by Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav, WGA board member Adam Conover describes the pay disparity further: Zaslav’s $250 million salary is equivalent to what 10,000 writers are asking collectively.
“So I would say if you’re being paid $250 million — these companies are making enormous amounts of money. Their profits are going up. It’s ridiculous for them to plead poverty,” Conover argues. “If you look at these companies, they’re making more money than ever. The people who make the shows for them are making less.”
Immediately after the announcement, late night shows go dark. Shows like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night With Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, whose episodes are usually written on the same day they air, are among the first productions to be affected. Saturday Night Live also announces a halt in production.
May 4, 2023: AMPTP Breaks Its Silence
On the third day of the WGA strike, the AMPTP releases its own summary of the failed negotiations, explaining its position on “mini-rooms” and AI regulation. Among its claims is a description of hiring minimums as “incompatible with the creative nature of our industry.”
That same day, WGA negotiators reveal that, when asked about staffing minimums and guaranteed employment periods, AMPTP president Carol Lombardini had said, “Writers are lucky to have term employment.”
May 15, 2023: WGA Agrees Not to Picket Tony Awards
Following discussions with the producers of the Tony Awards, the WGA announces that they would not picket the event, as they have “communicated with us that they are altering this year’s show to conform with specific requests from the WGA,” a statement from the guild explains. “As they have stood by us, we stand with our fellow workers on Broadway who are impacted by our strike.”
In response, Actor’s Equity president Kate Shindle tweets:
“Oh, and because it can’t be said enough: this is still #AMPTP’s fault, and the writers should never have been put in this position,” she continues. “We can appreciate the grace AND point at the culprits, right?”
April 30, 2023: SAG-AFTRA Expresses Support for WGA
The SAG-AFTRA releases a statement in support of the WGA strike, advising its members on what they can and can’t do in solidarity with the writers on strike.
Among the SAG-AFTRA’s recommendations to its members is to continue working on active projects to avoid breaches of contract and to join writers on the picket lines outside of their working hours. The union also reminded its members to avoid writing anything normally written by WGA writers.
June 5, 2023: SAG-AFTRA Authorizes a Strike
In anticipation of the negotiations with the AMPTP, SAG-AFTRA members vote 97.91% in favor of strike authorization.
“Together we lock elbows and in unity we build a new contract that honors our contributions in this remarkable industry, reflects the new digital and streaming business model and brings ALL our concerns for protections and benefits into the now,” says SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher.
“As we enter what may be one of the most consequential negotiations in the union’s history, inflation, dwindling residuals due to streaming, and generative AI all threaten actors’ ability to earn a livelihood if our contracts are not adapted to reflect the new realities,” explains SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. “This strike authorization means we enter our negotiations from a position of strength, so that we can deliver the deal our members want and deserve.”
June 7, 2023: SAG-AFTRA Negotiations Begin
SAG-AFTRA begins negotiations with the AMPTP.
In an earlier statement, the union expressed that both parties are “approaching this process as an opportunity to engage in thoughtful and interactive conversations that result in a mutually-beneficial deal.”
June 9, 2023: A Lionsgate Producer is Suspended
Ian Woolf, a line producer for BMF, is suspended after attempting to intimidate picketing writers by accelerating his SUV toward them.
“We take acts of intimidation and threats of violence seriously and investigate them thoroughly,” a representative from BMF production company Lionsgate says in a statement.
June 11, 2023: Tony Awards Air With an Unscripted Program
The Tony Awards air live with a fully unscripted program in solidarity with the WGA. Ariana DeBose opens the ceremony with a wordless dance number.
June 23, 2023: Directors Guild of America Approves New Contract With AMPTP
Following negotiations with the AMPTP, the Directors Guild of America (DGA) avoids a strike and ratifies its new contract, with 87% of members in favor. The new contract provides a 76% increase in foreign streaming individuals, family leave, and increases in minimums — to the tune of 5% in the first year, 4% in the second, and 3.5% in the third.
Unlike the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, the DGA is not known for its strike activity. The directors’ union has gone on strike only once in its history, and just for a few minutes in 1987. Leaders of both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA emphasize that they will not be bound by the terms of the approved DGA contract.
June 24, 2023: SAG-AFTRA Leadership Describes Negotiations as Productive
With less than a week to go before the expiration of the SAG-AFTRA contract with the AMPTP, union president Fran Drescher and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland send a video message to union members expressing optimism for the negotiations.
The video message is set in a packed conference room of the AMPTP’s Sherman Oaks headquarters, where labor talks are underway. In it, Drescher says, “I just want to assure you that we are having an extremely productive negotiations that are laser-focused on all of the crucial issues you told us are most important to you. We’re standing strong and we’re going to achieve a seminal deal.”
“We’ve all been working long and hard to move these talks forward, and we remain optimistic that we will be able to bring the studios, networks and streamers along to make a fair deal that respects your contribution to this industry,” Crabtree-Ireland adds.
June 27, 2023: Actors Threaten to Strike
Over 300 actors, among them Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Mark Ruffalo, Quinta Brunson, and Jamie Lee Curtis, sign an open letter to SAG-AFTRA leadership saying that they are “prepared to strike.”
The letter expresses worry over union leadership and its message of optimism just three days prior: “We are concerned by the idea that SAG-AFTRA members may be ready to make sacrifices that leadership is not,” it reads. “We hope you’ve heard the message from us.”
“This is not a moment to meet in the middle, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that the eyes of history are on all of us. We ask that you push for all the change we need and protections we deserve and make history doing it,” it reads.
June 30, 2023: SAG-AFTRA Negotiations Are Extended
Just hours before the SAG-AFTRA contract expires, the union announces an extension for the agreements, and resets the deadline for negotiations to July 12.
July 11, 2023: AMPTP Requests Federal Mediator, Deadline Report Alleges AMPTP’s Plan on WGA Strike
A day before the new negotiation deadline, the AMPTP requests the help of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to assist in the discussions. SAG-AFTRA leadership agrees to federal mediation but says it will not extend the deadline any longer.
In a strongly worded statement, SAG-AFTRA asserts, “We will not be distracted from negotiating in good faith to secure a fair and just deal by the expiration of our agreement. We are committed to the negotiating process and will explore and exhaust every possible opportunity to make a deal.”
“However, we are not confident that the employers have any intention of bargaining toward an agreement,” it adds.
That same day, a controversial Deadline report alleges that AMPTP is not interested in negotiating with the WGA, which had just marked two months on the picket lines.
“The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses,” an unnamed executive tells Deadline.
The AMPTP refutes the report, claiming that it is committed to “reaching a deal and getting our industry back to work.”
July 12, 2023: SAG-AFTRA Negotiating Committee Votes to Recommend Strike
Shortly after midnight, the SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee unanimously recommends a strike in “the face of the AMPTP’s intransigence and delay tactics.”
SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher says, “SAG-AFTRA negotiated in good faith and was eager to reach a deal that sufficiently addressed performer needs, but the AMPTP’s responses to the union’s most important proposals have been insulting and disrespectful of our massive contributions to this industry… Until they do negotiate in good faith, we cannot begin to reach a deal.”
July 13, 2023: SAG-AFTRA Announces Strike, Bob Iger Says Actors’ Demands Are Unrealistic
The SAG-AFTRA holds a press conference to announce an official work stoppage at midnight.
“I am shocked by the way the people that we have been in business with are treating us,” Drescher says during the press conference. “I cannot believe it, quite frankly, how far apart we are on so many things. How they plead poverty left and right while giving hundreds of millions of dollars to their CEOs.”
The WGA releases a statement expressing support for the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Meanwhile, Disney CEO Bob Iger describes SAG-AFTRA’s demands as “not realistic” in an interview with CNBC. He adds that actors “are adding to a set of challenges that this business is already facing, that is quite frankly, very disruptive.”
July 14, 2023: SAG-AFTRA Goes on Strike
July 14 marks the first time in 63 years that both the WGA and the SAG-AFTRA are striking at the same time — grounding virtually all TV and film productions to a halt.
In addition to stepping away from shoots, striking SAG-AFTRA members are no longer promoting their new and upcoming projects. The cast of Oppenheimer walk out of their own London premiere.
July 15, 2023: Independent Productions Get a Green Light
In the midst of the work stoppage, SAG-AFTRA begins forming interim agreements with selected independent productions who are not part of the AMPTP, allowing them to continue shooting.
The terms of the contracts align with the latest offer submitted by the SAG-AFTRA in the negotiations with AMPTP, with many greenlit film and TV productions being part of smaller companies like A24.
In a letter to SAG-AFTRA members, the negotiating committee describes the interim agreements as a “vital part” of the union’s strategic approach to these negotiations, as it allows independent producers willing to meet actors’ demands to continue making content while the AMPTP cannot.
August 1, 2023: Lombardini Calls the WGA to Arrange a Meeting
AMPTP president Carol Lombardini calls WGA chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman to arrange a meeting — the first sign of progress since the strike began.
August 3, 2023: WGA and AMPTP Talk About the Upcoming Meeting
A day before the WGA and AMPTP’s first meeting, Stutzman lowers the public’s expectations, cautioning against too much optimism.
Stutzman cites the 2007-08 strike, in which bargaining began three weeks into the strike — only to break off again in December. “Why? Because when the companies came back to the table they weren’t serious about addressing the WGA’s proposals,” she shares, explaining that the move was only meant to get workers to settle for a deal. That strike ended in February.
“It is all part of the playbook,” Stutzman explains. “Every move they make at the bargaining table and every rumor away from it needs to be evaluated through the lens of their attempts to get us to accept less.”
In response, the AMPTP calls the WGA’s stance “unfortunate.”
“This strike has hurt thousands of people in this industry, and we take that very seriously,” the studios express in a statement. “Our only playbook is getting people back to work.”
August 4, 2023: WGA and AMPTP Finally Talk, But Not For Long
Negotiators from the WGA and AMPTP meet up in an undisclosed location to talk about resuming negotiations. In a statement to their members, the WGA reveals that no agreement was reached.
According to WGA negotiators, the AMPTP’s Lombardini insists that the deal made with DGA would be the basis for similar issues. The AMPTP expresses willingness to increase their offer for a few minimums and to talk about AI, but they are not willing to engage on other key issues raised by the WGA in the failed negotiations last April.
On behalf of the WGA, Stutzman reiterates the expectation to cover all issues for which writers have been striking since May 2.
Lombardini responds repeatedly by saying, “People just want to get back to work.”
In a statement, the WGA writes, “We agree, with the caveat that those conditions that have made writers’ jobs increasingly untenable must first be addressed.”
Frequently Asked Questions About the WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes
When Did the WGA Go On Strike in 2023?
The WGA went on strike on May 2, 2023.
Are Writers Still on Strike in 2023?
Yes, writers are still on strike and have expressed that they are prepared to be on strike for as long as it takes to get a fair contract.
How Long Is the 2023 Writers’ Strike?
The 2023 writers’ strike is still ongoing. August 9, Wednesday, marks 100 days since the strike began.
What Was the Longest Strike of the WGA?
The longest strike of the WGA was in 1988 when work stoppage and picketing stretched to 153 days.
How Long Was the 1988 WGA Strike?
The 1988 WGA strike lasted 153 days. This year’s WGA strike has just crossed the 100-day mark.
When Was the Last Time SAG-AFTRA and WGA Went on Strike?
SAG-AFTRA last went on strike in 1980, while the WGA went on strike in 2007-08. However, 2023 is the first time both SAG-AFTRA and WGA have been on strike at the same time since 1960 when union power shut down Hollywood for six weeks.
What Shows Will Be Impacted by the 2023 Writers’ Strike?
Late night shows, like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, were the first to be affected. Saturday Night Live also halted production the moment the strike began.
Most TV shows in production have been impacted by the strike, including Stranger Things, Jeopardy!, Euphoria, Yellowjackets, Abbott Elementary, Andor, Emily in Paris, and Hacks.
