WGA West Rejects Staff Union Counterproposal, Strike Enters 71st Day

The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild Staff Union (WGSU) remain locked in a stalemate as the strike at the WGA’s Fairfax headquarters enters its 71st day.

In a memo sent to members on Wednesday and obtained by TheWrap, the WGSU reported that the WGAW rejected a counterproposal to its “best, last and final offer”, submitted on April 8.

The staff union had requested that the WGAW adopt two key provisions:

• Layoff and no-strike clauses similar to those in the Writers Guild of America East’s contract with its unionized staffers.
• Expanding longevity increases to cover total years of service, not just tenure in a specific position—a change management had previously signaled willingness to accept.

The WGSU stated that its bargaining committee will convene on Wednesday night to determine its next steps. The memo emphasized:

“Please note: this does not meet the legal standard of a last, best, and final offer. Legally meeting ‘last best and final’ means both parties reach a genuine, good-faith impasse after meaningful bargaining, and clearly understand that further negotiations would be futile.”

The WGSU’s memo follows a day after the WGAW leadership sent an email to members detailing the staffers’ strike. In the email, the WGAW accused WGSU members of intimidating members of the guild’s bargaining committee during three weeks of contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

The WGAW alleged that Pacific Northwest Staffers Union (PNWSU) officers, the parent union of the WGSU, engaged in aggressive behavior, including shoving an outside counsel member to prevent him from entering SAG-AFTRA headquarters where MBA negotiations were taking place. The guild also claimed that WGSU members have protested outside the home of WGA executive director Ellen Stutzman.

“Most of these actions are unprotected under federal labor law; some are illegal, and the attempted intimidation of the Guild’s executive director at her home is absolutely unacceptable.”

Regarding the WGSU’s demands, the WGAW stated in its memo that it will not agree to a no-strike clause allowing staffers to walk out over alleged unfair labor practices—a claim the WGSU has leveled against the guild. The WGAW aims to ensure “important Guild campaigns and events” are not disrupted during the agreement’s term.

The guild also rejected the staffers’ demand for promotions and layoffs to be determined solely by seniority, asserting:

“The Guild’s goal should be to have the best employee in any given position, regardless of the duration of their employment. While the type of seniority system proposed by the staff union might work elsewhere, it doesn’t at the Guild where there are 18 departments and distinctive roles.”