Writers strike expands beyond LA, NYC
www.workers.org
Santa Fe, New Mexico Writers Guild-West held an action in Santa Fe on May 26 that disrupted production of two streaming shows: “American Primeval” and “Outer Range.” The entrance to Santa Fe University of Art and Design, also the location of Greer Garson Studios, was picketed from early morning t

WGA-West is focusing on stopping studios from moving work to New Mexico from Los Angeles. Several productions have been shut down with flying pickets sent to production sites at 3 a.m. Earlier in the week WGA strikers disrupted filming of “Duster” in Albuquerque with a 3:45 a.m. action. The Santa Fe action was coordinated by longtime WGA member George R.R. Martin and WGA-West representatives.

On strike since May 1, WGA-West and WGA-East are fighting for decent compensation in the midst of an entertainment industry restructuring. The growth of streaming over network programming, the replacement of long-term series with miniseries, and the use of “mini-rooms,” where writers create episodes for only a short number of weeks but are not involved in the full production of a show, have all cut into WGA members’ income and future work potential. Writers fear being turned into gig workers or being replaced altogether by artificial intelligence.