麻豆社

Could a strike cause Hollywood to temporarily shut down?

Sign saying Vote Yes

Film and TV production in Hollywood could come to a standstill after behind-the-scenes workers voted to strike.

Over 50,000 workers voted in favour of the strike after many said they've had to work unacceptable hours with no guaranteed rest or meal breaks.

The workers are also asking for fairer pay from streaming services to cover their share of labour.

If it goes ahead, US film and TV production will be massively disrupted because the workers on strike include camera crews, prop masters, hairdressers and other craft workers.

The last major strike in Hollywood was 14 years ago in 2007. During this strike 12,000 writers walked out over pay.

The disruption was estimated to have cost the industry hundreds of millions of dollars.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

The last time Hollywood was disrupted by a strike was in 2007 when 12,000 writers walked out

This strike, if it goes ahead, would be far more wide-ranging, with members from almost every area of production.

One of the main disputes is over the amount of money streaming services pay production workers because it's claimed that they are paying a lot less than traditional network television companies.

Hollywood set decorator, Lisa Clarke, told the 麻豆社 that: "streaming companies are getting a discount on our labour."

"Workers love that streaming shows look incredible like feature films", Ms Clark said - but explained that she gets just 10 weeks to prepare hundreds of sets which would have taken six months for a feature film.

There's no date on when the strike will happen yet, with more discussions expected to take place in the coming days.