Writers Picketing Studios

Pickets were expected to appear outside studios in Burbank, Studio City and Universal City as members of the Writers Guild of America went on strike. A last ditch effort by a federal mediator to have the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers reach agreement on a new contract failed Sunday morning, leading the Guild to prepare for picketing Monday morning. Warner Bros. Studios, The Walt Disney Co. studios and NBC west coast headquarters, all in Burbank; CBS Studio Center in Studio City; and Universal Studios in Universal City were among the locations writers were to picket. The WGA contract expired Oct. 31. The Guild and the Alliance cannot come to an agreement on how to pay writers for work distributed on DVD and through new media, such as downloads, online streaming and mobile distribution.