The members of the Writers Guild almost unanimously agree to the negotiating demands

Members of the Writers Guild of America overwhelmingly approved a list of demands the union wants to make of Hollywood studios later this month.

The union is contractually obligated to issue a statement of purpose for upcoming contract negotiations with the studios. In a message to members on Tuesday, the union said 98.4% of the 5,643 members who took part in the vote had voted in favor of the proposed demands. Only 1.6% voted no.

The approval rate and turnout are up from the last round in 2020, when 3,336 members voted. At the time, almost 91% supported the union’s so-called pattern of demands.

This year, the union is asking studios to improve streaming payroll and balance payments. The gulf between creators and producers in Hollywood over streaming salaries has led some to predict the first writers’ strike since 2007.

The demands also include measures to curb abuses by studios using so-called minirooms – small groups of writers who used to develop a series before it went into production. This phenomenon has depressed writers’ wages, according to the union.

The union will begin talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on March 20 before their contracts expire on May 1.