Hollywood Strike Looms
Hollywood is bracing itself for a work stoppage that many feel could be worse than the 2007 Writers Guild Of America strike.
Hollywood is bracing itself for a work stoppage that many feel could be worse than the 2007 Writers Guild Of America strike.
The Teamsters union, which represents transportation workers, is threatening a walkout if a new contract agreement is not reached before the current contract expires on Aug. 1.
The union's Hollywood Local 399 is scheduled to have a strike authorization vote this Sunday. The union wants a 3 percent raise instead of the 2 percent raise it was offered by the studios.
The studios on the other hand, feel they have already compromised by agreeing to a two-year contract instead of a three-year contract they feel would have provided more security.
A strike would affect a number of films and as many as 20 TV show currently in production, according to The Hollywood Reporter:
"If it were to happen, it would be hugely unfortunate," said Ed Bernero, executive producer on the CBS series Criminal Minds. "I really can't speculate on what I might do if it happened, but unions are very important to me. So it would be a very difficult decision for me."
Hollywood suffered huge losses because of the 100-day WGA strike in 2007 and 2008. That strike provided a boom for reality TV shows, which were inexpensive replacements to the scripted shows that had to stop production.
