25th September, 2023
Hollywood writers and major studios on Sunday reached a tentative agreement that would bring an end to a strike that has lasted nearly five months.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA), which represents more than 11,000 screenwriters, said in a statement that the labor union has reached a tentative agreement on a new 2023 Minimum Basic Agreement.
It said “an agreement in principle on all deal points, subject to drafting final contract language.”
“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,” said the union.
“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,” the union noted.
Television and movie writers with the WGA began their strike on May 2 for the first time in 15 years to protest pay and working conditions in the era of streaming TV, bringing much of Hollywood production to a halt.
The proposed contract would still have to be ratified by the union’s members.
Once the memorandum of agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents major Hollywood studios and streamers, is complete, the WGA negotiating committee will vote on whether to recommend the agreement and send it on to the WGA West board and WGA East council for approval.
The board and council will then vote on whether to authorize a contract ratification vote by the membership, according to the union.
Movie and TV productions in Hollywood have come to a nearly complete stop after two of the industry’s most powerful labour unions went on strike simultaneously for the first time in over 60 years.
In July, over 160,000 members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) went on strike, joining the members of the WGA who have been on strike since May.
SAG-AFTRA said in a statement that it “congratulates the WGA on reaching a tentative agreement with the AMPTP after 146 days of incredible strength, resiliency, and solidarity on the picket lines.”
“While we look forward to reviewing the WGA and AMPTP’s tentative agreement, we remain committed to achieving the necessary terms for our members,” said the union.
“After a nearly five-month long strike, I am grateful that the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have reached a fair agreement and I’m hopeful that the same can happen soon with the Screen Actors Guild,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in a statement.
She said the historic strike impacted so many across Los Angeles and across the nation.
“Now, we must focus on getting the entertainment industry, and all the small businesses that depend on it, back on their feet and stronger than ever before,” she noted.
Reported by Xinhua