Sesame Street writers vote to authorize a strike amid contract negotiations : NPR

In this 2008 file photo, Big Bird reads to Connor Scott and Tiffany Jiao during a taping of Sesame Street At New York.

Mark Lennihan/AP

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Mark Lennihan/AP

In this 2008 file photo, Big Bird reads to Connor Scott and Tiffany Jiao during a taping of Sesame Street At New York.

Mark Lennihan/AP

Writers for Sesame Street voted unanimously to authorize a strike if they cannot reach an agreement on their new contract by Friday, the Writers Guild of America East announced Tuesday.

Thirty-five WGA union members are demanding “industry-standard annual raises, residual improvements and union coverage for segments” from Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit that produces the leading children’s program. “Sesame Workshop’s popular animation and social media platforms for the show’s writers,” WGA said.

“Our demands would be extremely significant for affected screenwriters, particularly those in the animation sector who are currently excluded from basic benefits and protections such as pensions and health care,” said the negotiating committee of the WGA Sesame Workshop. “We hope for a quick and amicable resolution to these negotiations so that we can continue working to help the next generation become smarter, stronger and kinder.”

The union and Sesame Workshop began negotiating a new contract for the writers in February. The contract expires Friday and if a resolution is not reached, a strike would begin next Wednesday, WGA said.

The 35 unionized writers could begin protesting outside the Sesame Workshop offices in New York the same day.

“No one wants to see a picket line on Sesame Street“, said Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, president of the WGAE. “Millions of parents and families around the world will have a lot of questions. They might wonder why Sesame Workshop bosses ignore their company’s own messages of kindness and fairness.

In an emailed statement to NPR Thursday morning, a Sesame Workshop spokesperson said “we remain hopeful that we will reach an agreement before expiration.”

“Our writers are an integral part of our creative team and we are engaged in good faith negotiations with the WGA,” the statement said.

The 54th season of the series premiered in November and contains 35 weekly episodes.