Writers’ Fear of Joining the ‘Gig Economy’ Fuels WGA Picket Lines

variety.com:

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Let the gig economy debate begin. One of the most contentious issues in the writers strike that erupted May 2 is the assertion by the Writers Guild of America that screenwriting is in danger of becoming part of the “gig economy.” The WGA’s proposed solutions — mandatory staffing minimums and guaranteed weeks of employment — are equally dividing labor and management.

Now that contract talks between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have cratered, complex issues are being chewed over by writers who are fired up, walking in circles (literally) and wound up about the long-term employment picture for Hollywood scribes. “I am the example of why we’re striking,” says Cindy Chupack, a two-time Emmy winner for her work on “Modern Family” and “Sex and the City.” Chupack has scrambled for the past few years to assemble enough writing jobs — she’s logged as many as five shows in one year — to keep her income steady.

But her bigger concern is the fate of the younger less experienced writers that she’s worked with in mini rooms all over town. “What we’re trying to do is ensure that there will be a future in writing and the next generation will have the chance to make a good living in the way that I have had,” Chupack says.

The twin problems are low pay for mini rooms — an alternative to traditional pilot and series development where a small group works on multiple scripts — and the short duration (six to eight weeks) of many work assignments.