Writers at PBS may soon be on strike, if a new deal between the company and the Writers Guild of America isn’t reached within the week.
The WGA East revealed Monday that the 94-member bargaining unit of writers at PBS member stations WGBH, THIRTEEN and PBS SoCal officially authorized a work stoppage, which will go into effect when the current contract expires at 11:59 p.m. ET on November 21.
According to the guild, the vote had 83% participation, with 100% of voters favoring the strike authorization. The WGA East council and WGA West board of directors both unanimously approved the vote.
Among the priorities this bargaining cycle, which the WGA East says that they have been unable to secure thus far, include union protections for animation writers, compensation for writer-producers, WGA coverage of all made-for-new-media programs and residual payments for reuse on streaming services.
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“Writers Guild members at PBS would much rather end the week with a fair and equitable contract than with a strike,” WGAE President Lisa Takeuchi Cullen said in a statement. “But they are also willing to do what is necessary to reach an agreement that reflects their working conditions and meets their very reasonable demands.”
In addition to the striking writers, their colleagues across 20 animated series including Alma’s Way, Carl the Collector, Cyberchase, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhoos, Molly of Denali, Pinkalicious & Peterrific, and Work it out Wombats! have pledged not to cross a picket line, should a strike be called.
If a strike does go into effect, all WGA members would be prohibited from performing struck work for PBS and PBS member stations. The union will also be picketing at THIRTEEN in New York, WGBH in Boston and at PBS SoCal in Los Angeles.
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