We must all succeed together,WGANegotiating Committee co-chairChris Keysersays in the video addressing WGA members.
And that hasnt changed because they waited 102 days to talk to us and taken their time since then.
Our feet and backs may ache, but our cause is the same.
Our case is the same.
The abuse of screenwriters.
The failure to protect Appendix A writers in the move to streaming.
The dismantling of the writing process in episodic television.
The threat of AI.
The refusal to provide streaming residuals that grow with viewership.
Each of these things is an existential issue for some or all of us.
Were not going to leave any sector of the Guild behind.
These things must be resolved.
And not with contract language that has a one-to-one ratio of promises to loopholes.
Of course, thats not theAMPTPway.
And its a hard thing to give up on something that has served them so well for 40 years.
And they are going to have to do more offer more than they usually do.
Much of our frustration with how long this is taking stems from that from their internal bargaining.
But they will get there.
The two side havent met at the bargaining table since August.
Despite the AMPTPs attempt at a detour around us, we remain committed to direct negotiations with the companies.
Thats actually how a deal gets made and the strike ends.
For us though, this is not a celebration.
For us its just a day off, a time to rest to rest up to finish the job.
We have no choice.
And that labor, when it bands together in opposition, can have its day.
We carry the flag.
On this Labor Day, the eyes of labor are on us.
We have never been the companies enemies; we are not their enemies now.
We are their creative partners, first and foremost.
That is our goal: to win a fair deal, and to be that again.
This is not, strictly speaking, an update on negotiations.
Im recording this message a few days before the holiday.
Let me start by thanking the Guild staff everyone who works at the Guild.
They are labor, too.
And they have dedicated their working lives to the cause of writers and writing.
Over the course of this year, they have given everything they have for us.
And everything we will one day gain, we owe, in large part, to them.
We need to acknowledge the members of SAG-AFTRA, who march on picket lines alongside us every day.
Labors strength comes from numbers.
And 171,000 irreplaceable workers is a pretty damn good number.
We have each others backs, SAG-AFTRA and the WGA.
We say that out loud on this Labor Day we are all in this together.
Together there is no way around us.
And the only way through is to treat us fairly.
Still, weve seen in this strike that the system is inherently cruel.
It requires not only that we bleed to succeed, but that others do too.
That is how labor gets its due.
For all its costs, it is the only way.
And nowhere is that more apparent than in the membership of the WGA itself.
You are models of what dignity means.
And they have served you well.
We do not write because its easy.
We write because we have no other choice.
The same with the fight to save writing itself.
Its not easy, but we have no other choice.
On Labor Day, its worth remembering that.
We are not on strike out of greed.
Nor do we begrudge the companies their success or deny their struggles.
We all must succeed together.
That fact hasnt changed because they waited 102 days to talk to us and taken their time since then.
Our feet and backs may ache, but our cause is the same.
Our case is the same.
We all know the list by heart by now: The erosion of pay.
The abuse of screenwriters.
The failure to protect Appendix A writers in the move to streaming.
The dismantling of the writing process in episodic television.
The threat of AI.
The refusal to provide streaming residuals that grow with viewership.
Each of these things is an existential issue for some or all of us.
Were not going to leave any sector of the Guild behind.
These things must be resolved.
And not with contract language that has a one-to-one ratio of promises to loopholes.
Of course, thats not the AMPTP way.
And its a hard thing to give up on something that has served them so well for 40 years.
And they are going to have to do more offer more than they usually do.
Much of our frustration with how long this is taking stems from that from their internal bargaining.
But they will get there.
None of which protects us from being scared sometimes and tired all the time.
It doesnt mean we dont wish for this to be over.
Theres not one of us who wants to be on strike one day longer than is necessary.
But, in fact, they have made us stronger than we ever imagined we could be.
No point in going back to jobs that dont sustain a career.
They have given us the awful gift of endurance.
As for the companies, they are increasingly alone.
Voices on Wall Street that were skeptical of their strategy are growing louder and more persistent.
The Trades that used to take their sides are calling them out.
The states of California and New York, whose welfare they have brushed aside, have raised the alarm.
So have public pension plans.
All of which is not a path forward.
One more thing I want to say: This strike will end.
And we will go back to work.
And it will be better when its over.
But we will also remember it for what it was.
I feel an overwhelming sense of love.
To people most of whom Ive never met and may never meet again.
Were each here for ourselves, of course.
But mostly were here for everyone else.
Im doing this for you youre doing this for me.
Thats the only way it makes sense.
This fight we fought together.
That is where things stand on Labor Day, 2023.
Which is a celebration of the dignity and value of those who work.
An acknowledgement that this country was built by the people who take home a paycheck.
For us, though, it is not a celebration.
For us, its just a day off.
A time to rest.
Rest up to finish the job.
We have no choice.
For labor across the country, this is the message.
We and everyone who strikes with us are the beacon of hope.
We carry the flag.
On this Labor Day, the eyes of labor are on us.
So, tomorrow, we will pick up where we left off.
With a message of determination and resilience, but also of openness.
We have never been the companies enemies.
We are not their enemies now.
We are their creative partners, first and foremost.
That is our goal.
To win a fair deal and to be that again.
In the meantime, get some rest.
We still have some work to do.
