Hollywood’s labor peace fell apart on Thursday night. Movie and TV writers declared they would begin a strike for the first time since 1988. The walk-out instantly has threatened to disturb television talk shows such as “Late Night With David Letterman” and “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart." These shows heavily rely on writers to create monologues and skits constantly. As the strike continues, audiences could see the eventual shutdown of soap operas, TV series and movie productions, as the bank of ready scripts is exhausted in Hollywood. In the near term, a writers' strike will have an immediate impact on more than 200,000 workers in the movie and TV industry.
The leaders of the Writers Guild of America West and the Writers Guild of America East were expected to order their members to stop work and take on picket duties during the strike. A strike by the writers threatens to tear a hole in the economy of Southern California especially with the California fires finally ending but leaving the area with immense damage. Talent agencies have to begin to consider the possibility of layoffs and Hollywood’s development executives could be reassigned. Even story departments will soon be effected by the halt in the flow of about 100 new scripts that come through a major studio in a typical week.
In 1988 Hollywood experienced a similar strike. More writers than ever before were joining unions. The strike in 1988 lasted for five months. According to the Writers Guild of America, the relentless writers fought for a well deserved upgrade. The Hollywood industry suffered the loss of $500 million in 1988 because of the strike. Today, if the strike is not settled quickly, the costs of the strike will be astronomical compared to those of 1988.