Leaders of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) were immersed in the details of a tentative labor agreement made with Hollywood studios on Monday. This agreement is expected to put an end to the months-long strike by writers, which later involved actors and brought TV and film production to a halt. The WGA announced the tentative deal on Sunday, following several days of meetings with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the representative body of the studios. Specifics of the three-year pact have not been disclosed as of now; however, the guild has assured its members that such details will be provided once the proposal is fully vetted and incorporated into the final contract language. Leaders of the WGA West and East branches are scheduled to vote on the proposal on Tuesday. Once approved, the proposed deal will be sent to the approximately 11,500 WGA members for formal ratification.
In a message to union members on Sunday night, members of the WGA’s negotiating team expressed their gratitude for the solidarity and perseverance shown by the membership, which they believe played a significant role in bringing the companies back to the negotiations table. While no specific gains have been revealed, the union has been advocating for protections against artificial intelligence that could undermine writers’ jobs, mandatory staffing levels on productions, and improvements in salaries and residual pay. The WGA went on strike on May 2 and was later joined by the SAG-AFTRA actors union in July. Currently, the WGA remains on strike, but that may change if the union’s leadership approves the proposed deal on Tuesday and decides to lift the restraining order preventing union members from working.
The news of the tentative deal was greeted with enthusiasm by local elected officials, including County Supervisor Janice Hahn and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Even President Joe Biden weighed in, applauding both sides for reaching an agreement that allows writers to resume their vital work. Attention is expected to shift to SAG-AFTRA now that the WGA has reached a proposed deal, as both unions have been focused on similar issues. The AMPTP had already reached an agreement with the Directors Guild of America, averting a strike by that union.
Although negotiations between the WGA and studios were occasionally tense, the recent progress was made possible by talks between the “Gang of Four,” a group of top studio executives that includes Ted Sarandos of Netflix, Bob Iger of Disney, Donna Langley of Universal, and David Zaslav of Warner Bros/Discovery.
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