With TV and film writers in the Writers Guild of America nearing their fourth month on strike, some shows are likely to start using scab writers to produce new episodes. One of the most prominent to already do so is the long-running and prolific daytime soap General Hospital, according to one of the shows writers currently on strike.

In an Instagram post last Friday , Shannon Peace, a WGA member, said that beginning Tuesday, the show will be penned exclusively by scab writers, which is heartbreaking.

Scabs are workers who, during a strike, cross the picket line and agree to perform the work of striking union members.

Last Thursdays episode was the last one she wrote before she and her fellow writers went on strike, Peace wrote in her post. Since May, over 11,500 film and TV writers in the WGA have been on strike , after studio executives, represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, failed to agree to a fair deal. (HuffPosts unionized staffers are also members of the WGA East.)

A spokesperson for ABC, which produces General Hospital, declined to comment Wednesday. Several other outlets cited sources confirming the show is now using scab writers.

In her post, Peace said the situation was complex, given how prolific soap operas are, and how, in recent years, networks have steadily canceled daytime soaps due to declining ratings. General Hospital is just one of four network TV soaps still on the air, along with CBSs The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful. Last year, NBC announced Days of Our Lives would now only air on Peacock.

Daytime writers face a unique conflict during strikes, Peace wrote. We hate to see our characters and storylines handed over to writers who cross the picket line. But were also keenly aware that stopping production could spell the demise of soap operas. Hoping the AMPTP does the right thing soon not just for writers, but for the integrity of storytelling.

Further complicating the situation is that unlike the vast majority of film and TV actors right now, the General Hospital actors are not on strike because they are governed by a different contract, settled last summer.

About 160,000 members of the Screen Actors Guild have been on strike since earlier this month. Central to both the writers and actors strikes are issues of equitable pay and working conditions, as studio and streaming executives boast of huge profits and take home massive salaries, while writers and actors fight to sustain their careers. In addition, both groups are asking for guardrails around the use of artificial intelligence, sounding the alarm about the potential for AI to replace their work.

However, the actors on General Hospital are covered by SAG-AFTRAs Network Television Code , a different contract that was ratified in 2022. The contract covers actors, performers and announcers on daytime soaps and certain talk shows, reality shows, game shows and award shows.