Writers Guild of America

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the joint efforts of two different American labor unions representing writers in film, television, radio, and online media:

Although each organization operates independently, they perform some common activities, including negotiating contracts and launching strike actions in unison.

The are presented annually by both guilds in recognition of excellence in film, television, and radio writing, including both fiction and non-fiction. The 1st Writers Guild of America Awards were held in 1949 to honor the best film writers of 1948.^[4] The annual awards show includes simultaneous presentations on each coast.^[5]

Writers Guild of America Awards

The is used to determine who receives credit for writing a film, television, theatrical, or other media work written under the WGA's jurisdiction. The guilds are the final arbiters on who and how writers are listed in the credits.^[6]^[7]

WGA screenwriting credit system

The is run by both guilds to establish the date of creation of literary property.

WGA script registration service

Both guilds are members of the .

International Affiliation of Writers Guilds

Although the WGAE and WGAW run independently of each other, they jointly perform some regular activities, including the following:

The lasted for 22 weeks. The negotiated contract included the first residuals for theatrical films, and the improved pensions.^[9]

1960 Writers Guild of America strike

The lasted for 13 weeks. The negotiated contract included establishing payment terms for "pay TV" cable programs.^[9]

1981 Writers Guild of America strike

The 1985 Writers Guild of America strike lasted two weeks. At dispute was the formula for paying home video residuals.

[9]

The lasted from March 7 to August 7, 1988. Among the disputes were residuals from syndicated reruns of hour-long shows.^[9]

1988 Writers Guild of America strike

The lasted from November 5, 2007, to February 12, 2008. Among the disputes were residuals from content made for new media and programs on DVD. The production of several television shows were affected by the strike.^[9]

2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike

The lasted from May 2 to September 27, 2023. Among the disputes were residuals from the use of AI and streaming media.^[10]^[11] Many productions were impacted by the strike.

2023 Writers Guild of America strike

The WGAE and WGAW negotiate contracts in unison as well as launch strike actions simultaneously.^[8]