ILRie Leading Hollywood Writers

The chief contract negotiator for the Writers Guild of America, the labor union representing the movie and television writers who went on strike today, is an ILRie.

Ellen Stutzman ’04 leads the writers planning to picket this afternoon to protest what they say is their devalued work in the streaming era.

Stagnant pay, a shift to gig-style work and studios’ artificial intelligence use are among the grievances of 11,500 Writers Guild of America unionists who produce Hollywood scripts.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers is bargaining on behalf of Hollywood companies, who say the entertainment industry is suffering from technological shifts and business pressures resulting in layoffs and debt. Its contract with writers expired at midnight.

The effects of the impasse are expected to immediately halt popular late-night shows such as “Saturday Night Live” and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Stockpiled scripts are expected to soften the impact of the strike in some other genres.

Stutzman began as the union chief in February. She is a 17-year union veteran who has served assistant executive director since 2018.

The strike disrupts a 15-year peace that followed a 100-day writers’ strike in 2007-08.