Writers Guild of America members at PBS authorized a strike of PBS. The strike will happen if management does not agree to a fair deal before the current contract expires at 11:59 p.m. ET on Nov. 21. This decision came after the network failed to come to the negotiation table for weeks.
Of the 94-member bargaining unit represented, 100% voted in favor of strike authorization on Monday. This figure accounted for 83% participation by members. The Council of the WGA East and the Board of Directors of the WGA West also both unanimously approved the strike authorization vote.
Additionally, writers at 20 animated PBS series — including “Alma’s Way,” “Carl the Collector,” “Cyberchase,” “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” “Molly of Denali,” “Pinkalicious & Peterrific” and “Work It Out Wombats!” — signed a pledge to not cross a picket line should a strike be called by the union. If a deal isn’t reached and a strike is called, all WGA members would be prohibited from performing struck work for PBS and PBS member stations. Pickets would take place at THIRTEEN in New York, WGBH in Boston and at PBS SoCal in Los Angeles.
There are currently 150 freelance writers who work at the three top PBS affiliates. Guild members are calling for animation writers to have full union protections, a deal that would be first of its kind. Additionally, members are asking for writer-producers to have fair compensation, made-for-new-media programs be given WGA coverage and for there to be “reasonable residual payments for reuse on streaming services.”
“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 to press, “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.”
According to a petition that was delivered to PBS management, WGA has been waiting since July for WGBH, THIRTEEN and PBS SoCal to meet. However, the PBS employers did not come to the table with their proposals or respond to the WGA until the end of September for a contract that was supposed to expire on Oct. 9. More than 1,250 guild members signed the petition asking PBS to engage in negotiation rather than stalling, including John Oliver, Seth Meyers, Joel Kim Booster, Robert Carlock, David Mandel, Amber Ruffin, David Simon, Lilly Wachowski and Beau Willimon.
“For writers, PBS has always been a cherished friend and teacher,” Cullen said in a statement back in October. “We believe the demands the WGA has presented will allow PBS to succeed in a time when public television is needed more than ever, while ensuring fair treatment for all its writers.”
