Members of the Writers Guild of America launched picket lines at more than a dozen studios and production facilities across Los Angeles and New York on Monday, marking the union's first significant strike in roughly 20 years. Writers carried signs and chanted slogans while receiving honks of support from passing drivers.
At issue is compensation that writers consider inadequate. Screenwriter Tony Gilroy, known for the Bourne trilogy and 'Michael Clayton,' called the action 'critical,' saying writers sought fair payment for the creative material that drives the industry. Others described feeling cornered by producers who refused to move on key demands.
Late-night host Jay Leno, whose program was taken off the air by the stoppage, rode a motorcycle to NBC's Burbank studios to hand out doughnuts to picketers, expressing solidarity with writers he said he had worked alongside for 20 years.
Writers dismissed any expectation that financial pressure would force a quick capitulation. Screenwriter Thomas Lennon noted that payment from studios routinely takes six months or more after a script is delivered, giving guild members experience managing without steady income.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in November 2007, in its own words.