Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday that he is prepared to help mediate the Writers Guild of America strike, adding that it will have “profound consequences” on all Californians.
“Both sides are dug in,” Newsom said in an interview with MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle at the Milken Institute Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton. “Every single one of us will be impacted by this.”
Newsom noted that the previous WGA strike in 2007-2008 cost the state economy about $2 billion.
The WGA has stated that writers are not being paid fairly by the studios in the age of streaming. After negotiations with the studios went nowhere, the strike began Tuesday.
“The stakes are high. I’m sensitive to the concerns of the writers,” Newsom said. “I’m very worried about it. We’re not unfamiliar with labor issues, and when called in by both sides, we’ll intervene.”
“This is a very real and existential moment. And I’m very hopeful that we can extend this not beyond the 100 days of the last strike, but we can extend this no more than a few weeks.”
The WGA West said in a statement Tuesday that their negotiating committed began the process intent on making a “fair deal.”
“The studios’ responses have been wholly insufficient given the existential crisis writers are facing,” the WGA West said in a statement.
