The Writers Guild of America (WGA) reportedly plans to bring its month-long strike to Apple Park on June 5, the same day the company will hold its 2023 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).
According to Deadline, the guild will hold an "Apple Day of Action," targeting the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California, and Apple stores in five other cities in the country.
(Photo : Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 31: Writers Guild of America (WGA) East members join United Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) as they picket at the Penske Media Corporation's offices on May 31, 2023 in New York City. Members of the UMAW were joined by WGA members, New York Working Families Party, New York City Democratic Socialists of America (NYC-DSA), and other union members as they walked a picket line and held a rally demanding that the SXSW festival increase artists' pay
Apple Facing a Strike During WWDC
The WGA plans to make its presence felt at Apple's annual event on Monday. According to Apple Insider, developers around the world will be attending the event for the presentation of the next wave of operating systems and technological advancements.
But not all paying to visit the headquarters will have pleasant intentions. The WGA's plan to protest comes after the writer's union and the Alliance for Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed to negotiate a new contract between writers and studios.
Since March, the guild has also been negotiating with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), representing Hollywood studios, including streamers like Apple, which runs the Apple TV+ service. However, both sides also failed to come up with a new deal.
As it urged Apple to settle the issues, the guild said in a leaflet to be handed out during the protest that Apple TV+ has "one of the most limited streaming libraries."
"The service offered less than 200 hours of new WGA-covered scripted comedy and drama content last season, and Apple TV+ is alone among streamers in having virtually no library of licensed programs," the WGA added.
WGA to Hold Strike in Apple Stores
According to Deadline, the WGA and its allies also plan to hand out leaflets at Apple stores in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., New York City, Pittsburgh, and Los Angeles on the same day Apple's 2023 Worldwide Developers Conference will happen.
But since the presentations at the annual event will most likely be pre-recorded, the presence of the WGA would unlikely be felt by people watching the stream worldwide unless Apple uses a live presentation and reintroduces live elements that were done during pre-pandemic times.
Also Read: AI Versus Human: WGA Strike Sparks Debate on the Future of Writing
Affected Productions
The WGA justifies that this action targets Apple TV+, as it has been a growing streaming service that heavily relies on teams of writers for its offered programming. The writers are reportedly underpaid and overworked.
Because of the strike, the guild noted that Apple already faced delays in several productions after strikers showed up at the locations of the filming of the shows. Affected productions include high-profile series such as "Loot," "Severance," and "Sinking Spring."
The WGA argued that the union's proposal for Apple costs just $17 million annually, a meager fraction of the company's "reported almost $400 billion in revenue last year."
"It's time for Apple to get back to the table and help get writers a fair deal," the guild noted. With some 26 million subscribers, the Apple TV+ is reportedly a tiny part of the $2.8 trillion market-valued firm's business.
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