Leaders of the Writers Guild of America today were pouring over details of a tentative labor agreement struck with Hollywood studios, a proposal that is expected to bring an end to the months-long strike by writers that was later joined by actors and brought TV and film production to a halt.
The WGA announced the tentative deal Sunday night, following five consecutive days of meetings with leaders of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios. No details of the three-year pact have been released, with the guild telling its members such details would be provided once it is vetted fully and put into final contract language by the negotiating committee, then approved by leaders of the WGA West and East branches.
Those leadership votes are tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, according to the guild. The proposed deal would then be sent to the 11,500 WGA members for formal ratification.
“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,” WGA negotiating team members wrote in a message to union members Sunday night. “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.
“We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional — with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.”
No specifics were immediately provided, but the union has been steadfast in its push for protections against the use of artificial intelligence that could undermine writers’ jobs. The union has also called for mandatory staffing levels on productions and for boosts in salaries and residual pay — including higher pay based on the success of individual…
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