Leaders of the union representing Hollywood's film and television scribes declared Thursday night that they would go on strike in what would be the first walkout by writers in nearly two decades.
Negotiators for the Writers Guild of America told thousands of members gathered at the Los Angeles Convention Center that they would notify members of the timing of the walkout by e-mail this afternoon, according to people present at the meeting.
Although the announcement moves the entertainment industry closer to a debilitating strike, there is still an outside chance that an agreement on a new contract may be reached in the next few days.
A prolonged strike would destabilize Southern California's signature industry and spur a domino effect across the Los Angeles economy, throwing untold numbers of people out of work. Television viewers could notice an immediate change: David Letterman's Top 10 list on CBS, for instance, could be reprised from an earlier show.
Thursday night's rally of about 3,000 film and TV writers occurred a day after talks with their employers broke down amid disputes over DVD residuals and pay for programs distributed over the Internet. The writers' employment agreement expired at midnight Wednesday.
The union's board of directors is set to formally ratify the strike plans at a 10 a.m. meeting today at the West Coast guild's headquarters in the Fairfax district.
Barring a last-minute deal, a strike would probably start Monday, people close to the guild said. That would mark the first time in nearly two decades that writers had walked off the job. The guild represents about 12,000 film and TV writers, of which roughly 7,000 work regularly.
At the packed Convention Center, guild leaders were greeted with multiple standing ovations and cheers by members, many of whom were clad in red T-shirts emblazoned with "United We Stand."
"This is a watershed negotiation for the Writers Guild," David Young, the union's chief negotiator, told the raucous crowd. "This is not the average negotiation. This has the potential to determine writers' income from the Internet and new media for the next generation and beyond."
The studios' chief negotiator said he was still committed to reaching a deal with the writers.
"By the WGA leadership's actions at the bargaining table, we are not surprised by tonight's recommendation," said Nick Counter, president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. "We are ready to meet and are prepared to close this contract this weekend."
