Writing for the New Republic, comics writer Mark Evanier looks at the history of strikes by the Writer’s Guild of America:

As a WGA member since ‘77, I’m presently on my fifth such strike–and I’m a novice compared to some. Last week, I picketed with a guy who’d walked off a job writing for Phil Silvers. One hates to think how many signs he’s carried.

Why so many strikes? Some of it may be our very nature. Something about writing for a living may just make you feistier and more contentious and more demanding of respect … but if that’s it, it’s probably a small part. More likely, it’s luck o’ the draw–the timing of when our contracts come up for renegotiation–and maybe some strategizing on the part of the AMPTP. There’s a thing called pattern bargaining, a semi-inviolate concept that says that if one union makes a gain or eats a rollback, the other unions will gain or eat accordingly.

Of the three “above the line” labor organizations in town–the Directors Guild, the Screen Actors Guild, and the Writers Guild–we’re the ones who have the toughest time shutting things down. When actors walk, you tend to notice it right away. There’s no one to film. If the Directors walked–which they don’t, but if they did–they’d also bring things to a screeching halt. With us, there’s a lag, as scripts that are already completed get filmed. If you’re the guy charged with rolling back the unions and getting their services cheaper, where would you start? The Actors’ and Directors’ current contracts expire on June 30 and July 31, 2008, respectively.* The WGA’s, of course, expired October 31, 2007.

Much more at the link, and even more at Evanier’s blog.

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