One major obstacle for the Writers' Guild of America in maintaining solidarity in its strike against television networks and movie studios will be the economic disparity of its members. While television writers of hit shows and movies may take in up to $5 million per year, almost half of the union's West Coast membership are unemployed, while junior writers may struggle to earn $50,000 or less. Observers predict that the unanimity of the picketing members will likely begin to fray if the strike lasts longer than a month, as less established writers feel more and more the pinch of making ends meet.
See "Writers on the Picket Line Would Feel a Varying Pinch", Brooks Barnes, The New York Times, November 6, 2007