The Guild has engaged in three major strikes, including one in 1959 that lasted nearly 6 months and one in 1988 that lasted 155 days. On May 1, 2017, members voted to strike, but an agreement was reached in the earlymorning hours of May 2, 2017, narrowly averting a repeat of this 8- to 10-
year cycle. Balancing the ethical implications of studio owners paying writers fairly versus the fiscal implications of strikes continues to be a challenging dilemma.

In November 2007, 12,000 screenwriters for film, TV, and radio represented by the Writers Guild of America went on strike over what they perceived as an unfair portion of profits made by studios on the shows compared to writers of those shows. The fundamental issues revolved around DVD residuals (a type of pay), new media such as Internet download and streaming videos (another issue of pay), and whether reality and animation shows should be covered by the Writers Guild. These writers worked for 397 entertainment companies, including CBS, NBCUniversal, News Corp./Fox, Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros., among others. They were joined by members of the Screen Actors Guild, including actor Katherine Heigl, pictured here, of the TV show Grey’s Anatomy at the time. The strike went on for 100 days. It is estimated that the strike cost $2.1 to $3 billion and shut down more than 60 TV shows. The final agreement was ratified, with nearly 94% of members voting in favor.

Questions 

1. Examine this question from the workers’ point of view and from the employer’s point of view. What do you see as the ethical aspects of going on strike?
2. Some categories of workers in the United States are legally prohibited from striking. Are there potential ethical challenges related to such laws (both for or against)?