Hollywood Writers Have Tentatively Agreed to End Their Strike

(NewsReady.com) – The Writers Guild of America (WGA) began striking at the beginning of May over a pay dispute. The move brought Hollywood grinding to a halt. A tentative agreement has now been reached.

On Monday, September 25, writers learned the WGA had come to an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The two sides had negotiated for five consecutive days before making a breakthrough. According to The New York Times, the union was able to secure a number of important concessions from the studios. Executives promised artificial intelligence (AI) wouldn’t impact writers’ compensation and credits.

The studios also promised to increase royalty payments for streaming. On Tuesday, the leadership boards of the WGA will vote on whether to approve the new contract. If they give it the green light, approximately 11,000 writers who belong to the union will vote to ratify it. Leadership will also vote on whether to end the strike at this time.

When the parties involved reached a tentative deal, the picketing stopped. However, leaders warned the writers against returning to work until the contract was formalized.

Some shows will be able to return pretty quickly after the strike ends, including late-night and daytime television. However, some television and movies will still be on hold because the SAG-AFTRA, the union representing actors, is also on strike.

The actors’ strike began on July 14. SAG-AFTRA posted a message of support on X, formerly Twitter, after news broke about the WGA deal.

https://x.com/sagaftra/status/1706170032789876939

The actors’ union is also asking for AI protections and higher pay. They want an 11% raise for this year and then an 8% raise over the next two years to help blunt the impact of inflation. They are also concerned about residual payments. That’s the money actors are paid when they are in a television episode that airs again. Because many shows are streamed now, that pay has significantly decreased, hurting smaller actors.

The union hopes to reach an agreement in the coming weeks.