It seems like a very desirable job, moreso than some of the construction or factory jobs that they don’t have a hard time finding people to scab on so why aren’t there any people who want to break into TV or movie writing trying to fill those vacancies? Seems to me if you could put together even a somewhat decent show you’d be able to demand any salary that you’d like.
What’s stopping them?
Being totally cut out of the industry when the strike ends?
Sure, but for a shot at a job that’s at least a good resume credit if one wants to be a writer why not give it a shot?
For one thing, virtually no producer will buy a script unless it’s submitted through an agent. (I understand that working through agents reduces the chances that the producer could be guilty of plagerism.) Very few agents are willing to take on a client with nothing on their resumes, and, I suspect, fewer still would be willing to gain a reputation as a union buster once the strike ends.
Nobody will hire them.
The important point is that the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) is supporting the writers strike. Members won’t cross picket lines even to go to award ceremonies that honor them (they are getting a special exemption for the SAG Awards) so they certainly wouldn’t work for any show that hired scabs.
Additionally, most scripted shows are run by producer/writers who are part of the Writers Guild and are themselves on strike. Who would hire the new writers, who would guide them in the direction that the show is going, who would rewrite the script to make it acceptable, who would run the show?
And that’s besides the lingering bad feelings when the strike ends and the networks have to deal with the returning writers.
If the strike goes on long enough, like through next year, the networks may turn to amateur productions of some sort to fill in holes out of desperation. But that would irreparably change the industry to such an extent that I predict it will never come to that. Everybody has too much money to protect.
Lack of talent.
Good writers are hard to find, and you can’t shake a tree and find people with the skills necessary. In addition to all the reasons Exapno mentions, the task of finding people who can write decent scripts is so daunting that there’s little point in trying.
Actually, the Times the other day had an article about the curious case of the soap operas. They are chugging along merrily, no repeats, with “official” writing staffs of 3, which insiders say is nowhere near enough to write a half hour’s worth of material a day, even with significant glances. It is strongly suspected there are scabs - however the scripts can be emailed in, so no one has to cross a picket line to write for these shows.
Somebody writes that stuff? 
Yes, but the scripts are all done “Mad Libs” style.
"Oh no ________ (name of man), you have _______(Past tense verb) the ______ (Noun). Too bad that _________ (name of other man) and I have been _______ (Past tense verb) the whole time!
The WGA has said that any non-members who work as scabs during the strike will be barred from future membership in the union. I don’t know much about how Hollywood works, but I know the unions are very powerful, and being blacklisted by the WGA would be a serious career impediment once the strike is over and the producers are getting most (all?) of their material from WGA writers.
However federal law provides that in every, single state of the union, you can’t be forced to be a member of the union in order to work. In non-right-to-work-states, you still have to pay “agency fees” instead of the full dues. You are still entitled to (and limited by) the collective bargaining agreement reached by the employer and the union. You are not entitled to vote in the union, as you are not a member. I wonder if being barred from membership means you no longer can be forced to pay agency fees?
You think it’s easy to drag out one conversation to last 10 shows?
Movies? Perhaps. But with the quality of TV writing, one wonders how difficult it really is. To write something that is as good TO ME as most of the crap they try to shove as TV, that is, not that others would think was the best thing since Marconi.
Didn’t we just go through this at agonizing length with Diogenes the Cynic?
“Oh no Thurgood, you have dropped the underground lair. Too bad that Johan and I have been rotating the whole time!”
What I wonder about is what’s preventing a summary termination of any and all WGA members?
It would involve starting from scratch with new writers, and taking losses for a few years (or not?). Less original programming would be available for a while, but the numbers would probably get built back up. If the producers/management/whoever have the courage of their convictions … isn’t this the obvious answer?
Because it’s not just the writers. All of the industry unions could band together to ensure that nothing gets done. That’s the power of unions (right or wrong). Actors. Teemsters. The Junior Key Grip union.
You think they wouldn’t use that? Oh yeah, they’d use that.
You could ask this about any unionized industry or profession. Ultimately, a union contract and union workers do benefit employers. And in this case, it’s the best writers who are members of the union. Why would they want to give up three years of better programming? That’s three years of lost profits and years of employment unrest.
When the conviction is “we don’t want to pay them as much as they want,” or, in the case of downloads, “we don’t want to pay them anything for their work,” it’s not necessarily always the deciding factor. When it comes down to it, the writers are giving them a product that they make tons of money from. They’re not going to easily toss that out in favor of this rather weak conviction.
And even harder to find are good writers who can produce consistently, week after week.
Many people might be able to produce 1 good script. But a show needs a new script every week. Professional writers like those on strike can produce a usable script consistently each week; new writers might find that more difficult.
And starting up production is expensive; you won’t do that for just one script, you wait until you have a seasons-worth or scripts ready to go. Or the first few scripts, and assurance that experienced, reliable writers will have the rest ready when they are needed.