Writers cast votes on strike authorization

Amid rising labor tensions, Writers Guild of America officials will announce results today of a strike authorization vote by the union’s members.

Hollywood’s film and TV writers had until 8 p.m. Thursday to vote on whether to grant union leaders authority to call a strike if they can’t reach a deal with their employers by Oct. 31, when the current three-year contract expires.

If a majority of the guild’s members grant the authorization, union board members could call a strike any time after the current agreement expires.

The strike authorization is widely anticipated given how far apart the two sides have been in contentious negotiations over pay for home video and shows distributed via the Internet and other new media. Union leaders had asked for the authorization this month.

The Writers Guild last struck in 1988 in a walkout that lasted 22 weeks.

Unions seek strike authorizations to gain leverage in negotiations. The Screen Actors Guild, for example, obtained a strike authorization from members last year before signing a new agreement with producers of cable TV programs.

richard.verrier@latimes.com