The very first WGA strike in 1960 resulted in writers getting a share of profits when a movie was aired on TV, while a 1973 strike focused in part on the emerging market of cable. It was a major point of contention in negotiations, because every time distribution technology changes, writers have had to strike to make sure they’re fairly compensated. The last time the WGA went on strike was in 2007, when streaming was a nascent technology. (As an example, writer Valentina Garza recently shared residual checks for writing two episodes of Jane The Virgin… for literally one and two cents.) 97.85% of writers who participated in the WGA authorization vote voted to strike, in part to ensure that working on a streaming service pays out in a manner closer to traditional TV, and closer to the way previous generations of writers, directors, and actors fought for years to achieve. Streaming services pay single, fixed residuals that aren’t tied to viewer numbers, and there’s no additional payment that comes when shows shuffle between different streaming services. But that level of financial security has largely evaporated.
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