Not really equivalent in terms of leverage. Generally speaking, no matter how good a writer is, they can be replaced by another writer with the same level of ta

Not really equivalent in terms of leverage. Generally speaking, no matter how good a writer is, they can be replaced by another writer with the same level of talent if necessary. The vast majority of the audience won't even notice. (Exceptions for some showrunners, but by definition a staff writer needs to fit seamlessly onto the writing team, without much room for a unique creative voice.) By comparison, replacing an actor is much more of a headache, and requires writing out or recasting a character. In some circumstances this could potentially ruin the show. That gives actors much better leverage for salary negotiation, particularly once the show has become established.