LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Hollywood movie and television writers voted on Thursday to go on strike to demand better treatment.

This will be the first time for the writers to go on strike in nearly 20 years to fight for a sharp increase in residual payments for movies and television series sold on DVDs, and pay schedules for programming shown on the Internet, cellular telephones and other new media outlets.

Leaders of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) made the decision at a gathering at the Los Angeles Convention Center, according to an announcement by the WGA.

Screen Actors Guild President Alan Rosenberg told the estimated group of 2,000 at the Convention Center that his union will give the writers' strike its full support.

The WGA's membership voted by a 9-1 margin last month to authorize its leadership to declare a strike.

On Wednesday, the guild presented what it called "a comprehensive package" of proposals including "movement" on DVDs, new media and jurisdictional issues to the alliance.

Writers said the guild board would meet Friday to formally calla strike and decide when it would start. They said guild members would be told Friday afternoon.

A strike is expected to begin next Monday.

J. Nicholas Counter, president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers which represents the movie studios and television networks, called the guild's proposals untenable.

"By the WGA leadership's actions at the bargaining table, we are not surprised by tonight's recommendation," Counter said. "We are ready to meet and are prepared to close this contract this weekend."

"We need relief from soaring costs, rising deficits and restrictive contract provisions and instead the WGA gives us untenable proposals that further raise costs and encumber our ability to adapt to these revolutionary times," Counter said.

The WGA Negotiating Committee issued a statement accusing the alliance of not responding "to a single one of our important proposals" since negotiations began July 16.

"Every issue that matters to writers, including Internet reuse, original writing for new media, DVDs and jurisdiction, has been ignored," the statement said.

"This is completely unacceptable," said the statement.

The wide gulf between the two sides, the writers' anger over past contracts and their animosity toward management all have led to predictions of a long strike.

The first casualty of a strike would be late-night talk shows, which likely would be forced into reruns in the event of a writers' strike.

Primetime programming is unlikely to be affected until January because of episodes that have already been produced, but not aired. Additional episodes can be made using scripts that have been completed, but not filmed or taped yet.

A lengthy work stoppage will cause television production to be interrupted.

A WGA strike in 1988 was the last to cause a major disruption in the entertainment industry. It lasted 22 weeks and cost the industry an estimated 500 million dollars.

"If it (cost the industry) 500 million dollars in 1988, a slowdown of that length would have over a 1 billion dollars impact today," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told the Los Angeles Times. "I'm very concerned."

A strike would have a trickle-down effect, affecting everyone from entertainment industry technicians to restaurant waiters, gardeners, florists and dog groomers.

The two sides met on Wednesday, but no new talks are scheduled.