WGA Members Picket Silvercup Studios as Strike Continues for Third Day

Members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) led a protest outside Silvercup Studios in Queens, New York, on Thursday, May 4, as strikes entered a third day after failed negotiations “with streamers and studios” on Monday.

The guild said it had negotiated for fair contracts over the last six weeks with Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Discovery, Paramount, Sony, NBC Universal, and Disney. As of midnight Tuesday, no agreement had been reached, leading to stoppages in production for shows like Saturday Night Live.

“The companies’ behavior has created a gig economy inside a union workforce, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing,” the official WGA statement reads. “From their refusal to guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic television, to the creation of a day rate in comedy variety, to their stonewalling on free work for screenwriters and on AI for all writers, they have closed the door on their labor force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession. No such deal could ever be contemplated by this membership.”

Twitter user @avishaiw captured footage on Thursday as demonstrators marched outside Silvercup Studios in Queens. Credit: @avishaiw via Storyful

Video transcript

CHANT LEADER: I say stand up, you say fight back. Stand up.

PICKETERS: Fight back.

CHANT LEADER: Stand up.

PICKETERS: Fight back.

CHANT LEADER: Stand up.

PICKETERS: Fight back.

CHANT LEADER: Stand up.

PICKETERS: Fight back.

CHANT LEADER: Stand up.

PICKETERS: Fight back.

CHANT LEADER: Stand up.

PICKETERS: Fight back.

[CHEERING]

- Yeah! We've got the power.

[CHEERING]

Union power.

We've got the power.

Union power. Woo! Yeah.

[CHEERING]

CHANT LEADER: I say stand up, you say fight back. Stand up.

PICKETERS: Fight back.

CHANT LEADER: Stand up.

PICKETERS: Fight back.

CHANT LEADER: Stand up.

PICKETERS: Fight back.

CHANT LEADER: Stand up.

PICKETERS: Fight back.

CHANT LEADER: Stand up.

PICKETERS: Fight back.

CHANT LEADER: Stand up.

PICKETERS: Fight back.

[CHEERING]

- Yeah! We've got the power.

[CHEERING]

Union power.

[CHEERING]

We've got the power.

Union power. Woo!

[CHEERING]

Yeah!

- Yeah!

[CHEERING]