Writers Guild Of America Ends Strike Following Support For Agreement

Following the board’s approval of a contract with the heads of Hollywood studios, writers have decided to end their strikes.

After nearly five months on the picket line, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the organization that represents studios, streaming services, and producers in discussions, revealed that the Writers Guild of America (WGA) has voted to accept the contract.

The WGA tweeted: “The WGA reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP. Today, our Negotiating Committee, WGAW Board, and WGAE Council all voted unanimously to recommend the agreement. The strike ends at 12.01am.”

The first programs that will likely return are late-night chat shows. Lifting the walkout will allow writers to continue working while they vote to ratify the contract, the Writers Guild informed members in an email.

After the board’s votes on Tuesday, the contracts were made available to the writers who had not yet received any information about the “exceptional” deal, as described by their leaders.

Significant gains in remuneration, employment duration, staff size, and AI management are part of the three-year agreement.

Depending on the writer’s position, the union had requested minimum wage increases and potential residual earnings of between 5% and 6%, whereas the studios had requested between 2% and 4%. A rise between 3.5 and 5% was the agreed-upon compromise.

The guild also negotiated new residual payments based on the popularity of streaming shows, where writers will get bonuses for being a part of the most popular shows – a proposal studios initially rejected.

The writers also got the requirement they sought that shows intended to run at least 13 episodes will have at least six writers on staff, with the numbers shifting based on the number of episodes.

They did not get their desire for guaranteed staff of six on shows that had not yet been ordered to series, settling instead for a guaranteed three.

Writers also got a guarantee staff on shows in initial development would be employed for at least 10 weeks and those on shows that go to air will be employed for three weeks per episode.

On AI, the writers got the regulation and control of the emerging technology they had sought. Under the contract, raw, AI-generated storylines will not be regarded as “literary material” which means they will not be competing with computers for screen credits. Nor will AI-generated stories be considered “source” material.

Writers have the right under the deal to use AI in their process if the company they are working for agrees and other conditions are met. However, companies cannot require a writer to use AI. The members will vote between October 2nd and 9th.