Tentative Agreement Reached to Conclude Screenwriters Strike; No Resolution for Actors Yet

49

Leaders of labor unions and representatives from Hollywood studios have successfully brokered a preliminary accord on Sunday to conclude the protracted strike by screenwriters, which has lasted almost five months. However, negotiations to resolve the strike by actors remain at an impasse.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) made public the tentative settlement in a collective statement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the body that represents various studios, digital streaming platforms, and production firms during such negotiations.

“The Writers Guild has arrived at a provisional settlement with the AMPTP,” the guild disclosed in an email to its members. “This accomplishment was facilitated by the steadfast unity demonstrated by WGA members and the remarkable backing from our fellow union members who supported us on the picket lines for over 146 days.”

The proposed three-year contract, reached after an intensive five-day round of renewed discussions involving both WGA and AMPTP negotiators and occasionally attended by studio executives, still requires ratification by the WGA board and its members before the strike can officially conclude.

In an extended message disseminated by guild members on various social media platforms, writers were informed that the strike has not officially ended and were instructed not to return to their workstations until further notice, although picketing activities are to cease immediately.

Details of the tentative settlement were not disclosed immediately. However, it is worth noting that the last provisional agreement to end the 2008 writers strike received overwhelming approval, with more than 90% of members in favor.

This breakthrough in negotiations comes just days before the strike was set to become the lengthiest in the history of the Writers Guild and the longest Hollywood labor dispute in over seven decades.

In the wake of this agreement, prime-time network shows like NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” are expected to resume broadcasting in the near future.

Despite this progress for screenwriters, normalcy has yet to return to Hollywood. Negotiations between studios and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) have not recommenced, leaving crew members who were affected by the work stoppage unemployed for the time being.

SAG-AFTRA issued a statement commending the Writers Guild for their tentative agreement with the AMPTP, stating, “While we are keen to examine the provisional agreement between WGA and AMPTP, our focus remains on securing favorable conditions for our members.”

The agreement between the Writers Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers was arrived at after negotiations resumed on Wednesday for the first time in a month. Top executives such as Bob Iger of Disney, Ted Sarandos of Netflix, David Zaslav of Warner Bros. Discovery, and Donna Langley of NBCUniversal were directly involved in the talks.

Remarkably, the resolution was reached without the assistance of federal mediators or government intervention, a necessity in previous labor disputes of this nature.

Karen Bass, the Mayor of Los Angeles, and California Governor Gavin Newsom both issued statements congratulating the two parties on the successful negotiations, expressing optimism for a similar outcome with the actors’ strike.

Approximately 11,500 WGA members had initially walked off their jobs on May 2 over issues such as remuneration, staffing levels on writing teams, and the use of artificial intelligence in scriptwriting. Actors joined the strike in July, but as of now, discussions regarding the resumption of negotiations with their union have not taken place.

The prolonged strike had a significant impact on the entertainment industry, affecting late-night talk shows, forcing the delay of scripted series and movies, and leading to the postponement of the Emmy Awards from September to January.

The tandem strikes represent a critical juncture in Hollywood, pitting creative labor against executives in an industry undergoing transformative changes due to technological advancements, including the rise of streaming platforms and the potential influence of artificial intelligence on creative processes in the foreseeable future.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Tentative Agreement between Writers Guild and Hollywood Studios

More about Tentative Agreement between Writers Guild and Hollywood Studios

• Understanding the Writers Guild of America
• History of Hollywood Strikes
• Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers
• Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA)
• Labor Negotiations in the Entertainment Industry
• Impact of Technology on Hollywood
• Previous Writers Strike in 2008
• Future of Artificial Intelligence in Screenwriting
• Profile of Hollywood Executives Involved in Negotiations
• The State of the Entertainment Industry in 2023