Leaders of the union representing Hollywood’s film and television scribes declared Thursday night that they would go on strike in what would be the first walkout by writers in nearly two decades, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Negotiators for the Writers Guild of America told thousands of members gathered at the Los Angeles Convention Center that they would notify members of the timing of the walkout by e-mail this afternoon, according to people present at the meeting.

Although the announcement moves the entertainment industry closer to a debilitating strike, there is still an outside chance that an agreement on a new contract may be reached in the next few days.

A prolonged strike would destabilize Southern California’s signature industry and spur a domino effect across the Los Angeles economy, throwing untold numbers of people out of work. Television viewers could notice an immediate change: David Letterman’s Top 10 list on CBS, for instance, could be reprised from an earlier show.

Thursday night’s rally of about 3,000 film and TV writers occurred a day after talks with their employers broke down amid disputes over DVD residuals and pay for programs distributed over the Internet. The writers’ employment agreement expired at midnight Wednesday.

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