Hollywood writers will now vote on whether to accept the ‘tentative’ deal to end the 146-day strike that has crippled Hollywood and the entertainment industry – as President Biden showed his support for the agreement.
The Writers Guild of America struck a deal yesterday with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, but the Guild warned: “No one should return to work until specifically cleared.”
The writers’ strike for fairer wages brought Hollywood to a standstill, and those who dared to continue production – including Drew Barrymore and Bill Maher – faced a massive backlash that prompted them to cancel their shows again.
Now the guild members will vote on whether to accept the deal.
However, the striking actors are not included in this deal, so America’s favorite shows and movies won’t be back on the air anytime soon.
The Writers Guild of America struck a tentative deal yesterday with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers – but the Guild warned: ‘No person should return to work until specifically cleared’
In their statement, the Guild praised the union members, writing: ‘We can say with great pride that this deal is exceptional’
According to Governor Gavin Newsom, California’s economy alone has lost more than $5 billion due to the months-long shutdown in Hollywood.
Two successful votes must take place before the strike is over. First, the boards of the WGA’s eastern and western branches must approve the deal.
The 11,500 members must then vote for approval themselves.
Such votes are common among Hollywood unions and take place every time a new three-year contract is negotiated, although they do not normally occur at the end of a lengthy strike.
President Biden applauded the tentative agreement that was reached
Joe Biden said today, “I applaud the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers for reaching a tentative agreement that will allow writers to return to the important work of telling the stories of our nation, our world – and all of us.
‘This agreement, including guarantees in the field of artificial intelligence, did not come about overnight.
“But its creation is a testament to the power of collective bargaining.
“There is simply no alternative to employers and employees coming together to negotiate in good faith an agreement that strengthens a company and ensures the pay, benefits and dignity that employees deserve.
“I urge all employers to remember that all workers – including writers, actors and auto workers – deserve a fair share of the value their labor has helped create.”
The statement issued by the WGA yesterday said: ‘We are very proud to say that this deal is exceptional – with meaningful profits and protections for writers in every sector of its membership.’
The organization has developed a multi-step process to finalize the agreement, culminating in leadership votes tentatively scheduled for September 26.
“Once the Memorandum of Agreement with the AMPTP is complete, the Negotiating Committee will vote on whether to recommend the agreement and forward it to the WGAW Board and WGAE Board for approval,” the statement said.
The board and council would then vote on whether to approve a vote on the members’ ratification of the contract.
If the consent was approved, the Board and Council would also vote on whether to lift the restraining order and end the strike at a specific date and time.
The strike began in early May, when writers raised concerns about wages, staffing and other issues
Writers were advised not to return to work until the Guild specifically said so
This move would allow writers to return to work during the ratification vote, but would not affect their ability to make a final decision on approving contracts.
After this process, the Guild would hold meetings to inform members of the deal before they could vote on ratification.
There are currently no talks between the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA and the studios.
This means that tens of thousands of actors are still on strike. This means shows without actors can move one step closer to airing, including chat shows.
Overall, the actors’ union has taken a less fiery approach than the WGA.
For example, leaders of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists have struck interim agreements that would allow many non-studio productions to continue — something their Writers Guild counterparts refused to do — and they should not stand in the way of efforts to do so to stand. number of shows to return.
Film writers will also be getting back to work on their slower timeline, although those working on scripts or late revisions of already planned films – including ‘Deadpool 3’ and ‘Superman: Legacy’ – will certainly be doing their best to crack open their laptops and further delays to the release date.
SAG-AFTRA leaders have said they have received no overtures from the AMPTP since their strike began on July 14.
That is now likely to change and a new round of negotiations is likely to begin, although it remains to be seen how long that will last.
It took three months after the writers’ strike for the AMPTP to begin negotiations, and initial talks failed after just a few days.
A month later, the studios called again, and this time the deal was completed less than a week later.