Two recent strikes in Los Angeles have vastly different impacts on the city and its residents. The strike by the union representing support staff for the Los Angeles Unified School District caused a shutdown of one of the nation’s largest school systems and prompted swift action from Mayor Karen Bass, who helped negotiate an agreement to end the strike within days. In contrast, the more recent strike by the Writers Guild of America against the Motion Picture and Television Producers Alliance has had a slower and more gradual effect on the city, with the impact mostly felt by those in the entertainment industry and related fields.
During the previous writers’ strike in 2007-2008, Los Angeles suffered more than $2 billion in lost production and 38,000 jobs were lost, mostly outside the entertainment industry. This strike is expected to be even more damaging, with estimates of an overall economic loss of more than $3 billion and the potential loss of jobs for 300,000 workers. The strike is fueled by challenges faced by writers in the entertainment industry, including a lack of sustainable work and the use of generative artificial intelligence to replace human writers.
The complexity of the issues involved in the writers’ strike, as well as its impact on industries outside of Los Angeles, make it a more difficult issue for politicians and the media to address. However, the striking writers have an advantage as skilled communicators who are able to draw attention to their cause through creative means.
Overall, the two strikes illustrate the different ways that labor disputes can impact a city and its residents, and the challenges faced in finding resolutions that are satisfactory to all parties involved.