Hollywood drama is spilling off the page and onto the red carpet.
The Writers Guild of America West has pulled the plug on its March 8 awards ceremony in Los Angeles as its own staffers remain on strike, demanding higher pay and protections against artificial intelligence.
In a letter to members Sunday, the guild’s board of directors — including President Michele Mulroney — said it would not ask nominees or guests to cross a picket line.
“The non-supervisory staff of the WGAW are currently on strike and the Guild would not ask our members or guests to cross a picket line,” the board wrote, adding that nominees “deserve an uncomplicated celebration.”
While the Los Angeles ceremony is canceled, the guild’s New York event is still expected to proceed the same day. An alternative celebration for West Coast nominees will be scheduled later.
Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka had been tapped to host the L.A. show, and Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron was set to receive the WGA West’s prestigious Laurel Award.
Since Feb. 17, more than 100 union staffers have been picketing outside the guild’s Fairfax Avenue headquarters, accusing management of dragging its feet in contract talks. The union claims management has surveilled workers for union activity, fired union supporters and engaged in “bad faith surface bargaining.”
On Tuesday, the labor group alleged that management floated canceling the ceremony during negotiations — a move it blasted as an attempt to divide members ahead of high-stakes talks over MBA (minimum basic agreement) negotiations with the AMPTP, which represents studios and streamers.
The staff union, formed last spring, authorized a strike in January with 82% support. Key sticking points include AI protections, wage increases and formal grievance procedures.
Guild leadership says it has offered “comprehensive proposals” that include union protections and improved compensation.
The cancellation lands just weeks before the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences stages the Oscars — and recalls 2023’s 148-day writers strike, the second-longest in WGA history.