There soon might be a picket line on Sesame Street.
Writers at the Sesame Workshop have voted unanimously to authorize a strike against the non-profit organization, the Writers Guild of America said Tuesday.
The guild says that there was 100% participation in the strike authorization vote from the 35-member bargaining unit. The writers are prepared to walk the picket line if a tentative deal isn’t reached by Friday, which is when the current contract expires. The strike would include any and all work for Sesame Street.
“The writers that Sesame Workshop hires are deeply committed to the work that we do. Like the Workshop itself, we are mission-driven and child-focused, and we work hard at telling stories that contribute to the Workshop’s curricula inspired by heart, curiosity, community, kindness, diversity, equity, and inclusion,” the WGA Sesame Workshop Negotiating Committee said in a statement.
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Negotiations for the Sesame Workshop’s new contract began on February 13. According to the guild, the new contract proposal includes annual raises, improvements to residuals, and union coverage for Sesame Workshop’s animation and social media segments.
If a strike commences, picketing will begin on April 24 outside Sesame Workshop’s offices in New York City.
“No one wants to see a picket line on Sesame Street,” WGAE President Lisa Takeuchi Cullen said in a statement. “Millions of parents and families around the world are going to have a lot of questions. They might ask why the bosses at Sesame Workshop are ignoring their company’s own messages of kindness and fairness.”