Writers Guild Staffers Picket Outside SAG-AFTRA Building During Union Negotiations

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The staff of the Writers Guild of America West brought their labor dispute to the SAG-AFTRA headquarters in Los Angeles on Monday, picketing outside the building where the WGA is commencing negotiations with studios and streaming services. The Writers Guild Staff Union erected picket signs and the inflatable 'Scabby the Rat' symbol outside the actors' union building as bargaining between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) got underway.

Why it matters

The picketing by WGA staffers highlights the ongoing tensions between writers and the entertainment industry as the two sides negotiate a new contract. The WGA has been engaged in a high-profile labor dispute, and the involvement of the guild's own employees signals the depth of frustration over working conditions and compensation.

The details

Around noon on Monday, the Writers Guild Staff Union began picketing on the sidewalk outside the SAG-AFTRA headquarters on Wilshire Boulevard after learning that bargaining between the WGA and the AMPTP was starting there. Picketers carried signs with slogans like 'Wgamptp,' 'Wgaw Management: Do You Know How Unions Work?' and 'We Tried to Wrap This in September!' The union also erected the inflatable 'Scabby the Rat' symbol, which is often used in union disputes.

• The Writers Guild Staff Union began picketing around noon on Monday, March 16, 2026.