It has been 85 days since the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike in protest of streaming residuals, fair expectations of employment, encroachment of AI writing, and more. The effects of this strike are far-reaching when it comes to how it impacts film and television; especially daytime television. Where primetime shows may only run 13 to 26 episodes a year, daytime programming often goes into the triple digits. Take for instance, ABC soap opera “General Hospital,” which has produced thousands of episodes since it debuted in 1963.
And in an effort to continue airing, “General Hospital” has made the choice to hire non-union writers.
One of the program’s union writers, Shannon Peace announced the last episode she wrote before the strike had aired; something that makes sense given how episodes are written in advance. On one hand, she’s devastated that scab (those who cross picket lines to do struck union work) writers will be taking control of characters and plotlines. She also makes a point if the soap opera goes dark, it may not come back at a..
In America, the soap opera has been a fading presence on television. Many long standing soaps like “Guiding Light, “As the World Turns,” “All My Children,” and “One Life to Live” have all gone by the wayside in the last 15 years. Given the amount of content available for people to watch, soap operas are heavily reliant on recurring stories and the momentum from episode to episode to keep people engaged. If you break that momentum, you may not get it back if people gravitate to other viewing options.
That said, hiring non-union writers for these jobs is a complex subject. Some daytime programs are exempt from the WGA (and SAG-AFTRA) strike rules under a provision called the National Code of Fair Practice for Network Television Broadcasting. This provision effectively allows the shows to continue with scabs without any repercussion. But any of those scab writers will be forced to resign from the guild if they choose to work on that program. Not to mention, they have to live with the knowledge they’re undermining the guild members picketing to secure better rights, wages, and job security for others.
