2026 Writers Guild Staff Union Strike
American labor dispute against the Writers Guild and its staff
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On Tuesday, February 17, 2026, the Writers Guild Staff Union (WGSU), went on strike against their employer, the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW), itself a labor union representing screenwriters in their western jurisdiction of the United States.[1]
7000 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Writers Guild Theater
135 South Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
SAG-AFTRA Plaza
5757 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036
- Lack of a first collective bargaining agreement between the WGSU and the WGAW
| 2026 Writers Guild Staff Union Strike | |||
|---|---|---|---|
The official logo of the Writers Guild Staff Union | |||
| Date | 12:00, February 17, 2026 (−08:00); 77 days | ||
| Location | Guild Headquarters 7000 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90048 Writers Guild Theater 135 South Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90211 SAG-AFTRA Plaza 5757 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036 | ||
| Caused by |
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| Methods | |||
| Status | Ongoing | ||
| Parties | |||
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| Lead figures | |||
PNWSU At-Large President WGAW Executive Director | |||
The WGSU alleges unfair labor practices, including retaliatory termination, bad faith surface bargaining, and surveillance of union activity. While the staff of the WGSU are not writers, many writers who they represent have attended their picket line in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles. The Writers Guild Staff Union is a local chapter of the Pacific Northwest Staff Union (PNWSU), which is an industrial union focusing on organizing the staff who work at labor unions.[2][3]
This unprecedented labor action has led to substantial media coverage, and places the WGAW in the position of having to bargain the first WGSU collective bargaining agreement while quickly approaching renegotiations for the 2026 Minimum Basic Agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which are scheduled to begin on March 16. The strike has led to condemnation of the WGAW management by the Guild's membership, and the cancellation of the 2026 Writers Guild of America Awards.[1][3]
Background
The Writers Guild of America West is one of two Writers Guild of America locals that represent screenwriters who work in the American film industry.[4] Operating with the jurisdiction west of the Mississippi River and centered on the production hubs in and around Hollywood in the city of Los Angeles, the WGAW is far larger than its eastern counterpart, the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE). It has around 17,000 total members as of 2025.[5]
WGSU organizing effort
For nearly five months in 2023, staff members of the WGAW worked once again to support screenwriters during the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. They provided logistics, supplies, and organizational structure to ensure that striking writers were well-supplied on the picket lines in and around the city of Los Angeles, and to ensure that they continued to receive their residuals checks. [6][7]
CBA negotiations
In the following months, the WGSU performed bargaining surveys with their membership, and collected candidates for their Bargaining Committee (BC). They held their first bargaining session with Management on September 9, 2025, in the boardroom of the Guild Headquarters.[8]
The WGSU has accused the WGAW of ignoring the vast majority of their proposals. Since then and over the course of five months, the WGSU has alleged that the WGAW has engaged in multiple counts of surface bargaining, and has filed unfair labor practice charges to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) alleging that the WGAW has several times "refused to bargain".[9]
The WGAW has denied this, saying that they have delivered multiple comprehensive proposals to the staff union which provide for an increase in benefits, protections, and wages.
Strike action
In January 2026, the WGSU Bargaining Committee recommended to their membership that they vote to authorize a strike. On January 29, the WGSU announced that 100 of their members participated in the strike authorization vote, with an approval of 82%. They held further bargaining sessions with management, but the results of these talks remained unfruitful, and the elected leadership of the union decided to call for a walkout at noon on February 17. Their strike is based upon their allegations of Unfair Labor Practices.[10]
The WGSU erected an inflatable Scabby the Rat on the intersection of Third & Fairfax to protest the WGAW's use of strikebreaking labor, their bad faith bargaining, and their unfair labor practices. Industry trade magazines and newspapers took note of Scabby's presence outside of the Guild Headquarters, commenting on the irony that such a symbol was being weaponized against a labor union. Articles frequently featured photos of Scabby underneath the Writers Guild of America West facade.[11]
The strike drew intense reactions from politicians as well as the film and labor industries. Writers, often wearing their trademark blue strike shirts, joined the picket line in support of the staff, and the picketers were further joined by community allies.[12]
The WGSU requested that the WGAW management team bargain again amid the strike. The WGAW requested that the staff union source a "neutral location", and the two parties met at the union hall for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 56 in San Pedro on February 22. The two sides were unable to come to terms, and the WGSU announced that the WGAW management team was still invested in surface bargaining. On the following Tuesday, February 24, WGAW management informed the staff union that they were holding to their previous proposal in San Pedro they would not be negotiating further. The WGSU quickly took to Instagram to inform the public and the media that the 78th Writers Guild of America Awards was under threat of cancellation.[13][14]
2026 Writers Guild Awards L.A. Show is Cancelled [sic]
WGAW would not ask attendees to cross a picket line, as PNSWU [sic] strike continues.
The WGSU refused to entertain the San Pedro offer. The deadline passed, and WGAW management announced the awards show's cancellation via their press room. They acknowledged that the WGSU would likely picket the event, and that they did not want to ask the nominees or other attendees to cross a picket line.[16] WGSU members gave statements to the press, expressing sadness over the show's cancellation. [17] Writers responded to the announced cancellation with frustration, citing it as an example of the losses incurred by Management's refusal to bargain in good faith.[18]
After the awards show cancellation, Atsuko Okatsuka, the comedian who had been chosen to host the 78th annual awards, announced on March 6 that she would be headlining a Benefit Comedy Show for the striking workers instead. In a quote to The Hollywood Reporter, Okatsuka said, "I'm a union girl... We're only as strong as the people behind the scenes!! We're one unit, so we must move as such. I was supposed to host the awards this Saturday. A day of celebrating the hard work of artists in one of the strongest unions in the U.S.. But could we really celebrate while the staff, who help support the union are asking to be heard of their needs? I'm honored to stand with them."[19]
March 31, 2026, it was learned, and publicly shared, that WGSU striking staff members will lose their health insurance coverage as this internal strike enters its sixth week. In response, the WGAW is citing an administrative obstacle for the reason.[20]
