The writers’ strike is (almost) over. The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, a group of Hollywood’s largest studios, reached a “tentative agreement” on a new contract on Sunday, announcing the end of the WGA strike which began on May 2.
The agreement still needs to be ratified: first by the writers’ bargaining committee, then by the WGA West board of directors and the WGA East board in votes scheduled for Tuesday, and finally by union members . For now, the writers remain on strike, but the picketing has been suspended. It’s possible that union leaders will lift their restraining order and allow writers to return to work starting Tuesday, ahead of a membership ratification vote.
Terms of the new agreement have not been announced, but will be released before members vote. “All that remains is for our staff to ensure that everything we agreed to is codified in the final contract text,” the WGA said in a statement. “And while we look forward to sharing with you the details of what has been achieved, we cannot do so until the last ‘i’ is dotted. This would complicate our ability to complete the work.
Issues under discussion included regulation around AI, staffing of writers’ rooms and how residual payments could be linked to the performance of streaming shows. “We can say, with great pride, that this agreement is exceptional – with significant gains and protections for writers across all sectors of our members,” the WGA said.
Sunday’s deal was reached on day 146, making it the longest Hollywood writers’ strike since 1988. The strike began with negotiations, but ultimately stopped, with neither side showing up at the negotiation table. The resistance between the two groups ended last week with the return of both sides on Wednesday. According to The Hollywood Reporter, days of intense discussions followed, with studios submitting their “best and final” offers on Saturday evening. It appears the authors felt they had the upper hand, as union negotiators were able to make a few more demands on Sunday before the deal was reached.
The potential end of the strike will mean that pre-production and writing for shows like The last of us season 2 may resume, but that’s not the end of the studios’ labor problems. The Screen Actors Guild is also on strike against the AMPTP and continues to negotiate its own agreement and contract. As long as the SAG strike continues, production in Hollywood will still be suspended, even if shows and films resume development with writers returning to work. Late night and daytime talk shows, however, will be able to resume production immediately, but without any striking guest actors.
“SAG-AFTRA applauds the WGA for reaching a tentative agreement with AMPTP after 146 days of incredible strength, resilience and solidarity on the picket lines,” the actors guild said in a statement. “While we look forward to reviewing the tentative agreement between the WGA and AMPTP, we remain committed to achieving the necessary terms for our members. Since the day the WGA strike began, SAG-AFTRA members have stood alongside writers on the picket lines. We remain on strike in our TV/Theater contract and continue to urge studio and streamer CEOs and AMPTP to return to the table and reach the fair deal our members deserve and demand.