The Writers Guild Of America (WGA) will join members of the Federation of Screenwriters (FSE) in Europe and other groups for an international day of solidarity on Wednesday (June 14).
International Affiliation of Writers Guilds and UNI Global Union are among groups preparing to participate in the Screenwriters Everywhere event in support of the 11,500 WGA members who have been on strike since May 2.
Actions are planned in more than 30 countries including the UK, Australia, South Korea, Canada, Ukraine, Argentina, Colombia, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Spain, and Israel.
In Los Angeles, pickets will take place outside Netflix and Disney where speaking Guild members include WGAW president Meredith Stiehm, vice-president Michele Mulroney, and negotiating committee co-chairs Chris Keyser and David Goodman.
“One way the studios try to scare writers when a strike threat exists is to say, ‘Well, we’ll just hire international writers.’ But that is an empty threat; because we have solidarity among writers across the globe,” said Stiehm.
“Last October, WGA leadership traveled to Copenhagen for the annual IAWG (International Affiliation of Writers Guilds) conference. We spent three days with the leadership from our sister unions, as we do every year – furthering our close, connected, and utterly unified relationship with the international guilds. These unions support us wholeheartedly during this strike, as we will always support them.”
FSE president and German screenwriter Carolin Otto said, “Screenwriters in Europe are in awe of the organisation, determination and solidarity of our friends and colleagues in the Writers Guilds of America, East and West, in their fight to defend and protect their profession from the sustained assaults they are currently facing.
“We are all too familiar with the attacks that threaten to make a career as a screenwriter unsustainable. In Europe, and across the globe, screenwriters are exploited for their commitment to their work. We enthusiastically support the WGA strike. Their fight is our fight – we will share in their victory.”
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