LOS ANGELES, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Hollywood screenwriters have overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike, which could cripple television and movie production, as negotiations on a new contract made no progress, officials said Saturday.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA), which represents more than 12,000 writers, announced late Friday that its members voted by 9-1 margin to authorize a strike if they can't reach a deal with their employers by Halloween.

The writers want residual payments for movies and television series sold on DVDs be sharply increased and pay schedules be set for programming shown on the Internet, cellular telephones and other new media outlets. Their current contract expires on Oct. 31.

But the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents movie studios and television networks, so far has been unreceptive to those concerns.

A vote to authorize a strike does not necessarily mean one will occur. Such an authorization is often seen as a union tactic seeking to put added pressure on management.

"I am both impressed and gratified by the vote," WGA, West President Patric Verrone said. "It is now up to the AMPTP companies to begin to bargain seriously concerning the issues important to our members."

But AMPTP President Nick Counter called the strike authorization vote "a pro forma tactic used by every union in the country, saying that his group's focus is on negotiating a reasonable agreement with the WGA.

Negotiations between the writers union and the AMPTP began in July but "little progress has been made on the primary issues," according to a WGA official.

Hollywood writers went on strike last time in 1988. The 22-weekstrike caused a major disruption in the entertainment industry.