Writers Guild of America Strike Averted with Health Care Conciliations | SHRM.org
Dr. David Smith Weighs in on Recent WGA Health Care Negotiations
For the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM.org), Allen Smith, JD, covers the
2017 Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike aversion. Strike plans were averted when
a deal was struck between the WGA and producers in the wee hours of May 2, 2017. The
deal includes increased healthcare contributions, high-budget streaming and video-on-demand
TV residual increases and – for the first time – residuals for comedy-variety writers
in pay TV. The WGA also secured job protection for parental leave.
With healthcare at the forefront of the negotiations, Dr. David M. Smith, Associate
Professor of Economics and Associate Provost for Online Programs at the Pepperdine
Graziadio School, says: "Health care is a major issue that most employees and organizations
are grappling with. Clearly, it's a key part of compensation, and there are inherent
trade-offs between overall compensation, wages, and cost-sharing." Dr. Smith also
noted, "When you have exceptional talent, it is better to look for ways to achieve
common ground, rather than assuming there is an endless supply of a scarce resource."