Striking writers reach tentative deal with film and TV studios
By David Propper - New York Post
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The Writers Guild of America reached a tentative deal Sunday with film and TV studios that would end a nearly five-month strike and get Hollywood rolling again.
Union officials emailed WGA members Sunday informing them a new three-year agreement was tentatively reached.
They called the new contract “exceptional” and said it would have “meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.”
“What we have won in this contract – most particularly, everything we have gained since May 2nd – is due to the willingness of this membership to exercise its power, to demonstrate its solidarity, to walk side-by-side, to endure the pain and uncertainty of the past 146 days,” part of the email from the WGA Negotiating Committee states, according to screenshots of the message posted on social media.
“It is the leverage generated by your strike, in concert with the extraordinary support of our union siblings, that finally brought the companies back to the table to make a deal.”
The proposed deal comes just five days before the strike would have been the longest in the guild’s history and the longest in Hollywood in more than 70 years.
It also comes after both sides took part in intensive bargaining over the weekend.
There were signs last week that the strike, which brought Hollywood to a halt for 146 days, appeared to be nearing the end when the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers issued a joint statement that they were back in talks.
The Alliance represents studios, streaming services and producers in the negotiations.
Union leaders met Wednesday with top studio bosses including Disney CEO Robert Iger, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and NBCUniversal Studio Chair Donna Langley with a source telling Reuters the session was “encouraging.”
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The WGA represents around 11,000 writers in film and TV. Its members walked off the job on May 2 over issues tied to pay, staff sizes and use of artificial intelligence to piece together scripts.
The terms of the deal were not disclosed Sunday as the contract language is being solidified.
The guild’s board and its members must sign off on the deal before the strike comes to a close.
Writers were told by leadership that the strike is not over despite the tentative deal reached, and no one should return to work until they get the green light.
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Picketing has been suspended immediately though.
While one group of Hollywood workers might be back to work soon, the members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists remained on strike.
About 65,000 film and television actors joined writers on the picket line on July 14 — bringing a boost of star power and fresh energy to the fight for better wages, benefits and job security.
Their efforts marked the first time both groups had been on strike together since 1960.
The actors union and the Hollywood studios have yet to restart contract talks as the actors guild urged “studio and streamer CEOs and the AMPTP to return to the table and make the fair deal that our members deserve and demand.”
