Washington, D.C. - Representative Neil Abercrombie today issued the following statement on the first full day of the Writers Guild of America Strike:

“Our country’s great middle class was built on the right of people who work to be paid a fair wage for their work. The Writers Guild of America is on strike to protect that right.

“The intellectual work product of professional writers entertains and informs millions upon millions of Americans every day and night. What they are seeking now is fair compensation, no less than producers, media corporations and others receive from the re-use, adaptation and extension of their work.

“Rapid advances in technology have led to breathtaking increases in media avenues to the public. Yet, all these avenues are empty highways without the creativity and ability of movie and television screenwriters to tell a story.

“I fully support the Writers Guild of America.  I urge the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to re-engage with the writers in sincere negotiations to bring this work stoppage to an end.”

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