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Kurt Sutter Speaks Out About Potential Writers Strike: ‘Brains Before Bullets’

Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter took to Twitter to express his excitement that the potential […]

Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter took to Twitter to express his excitement that the potential Writers’ Guild strike was averted for the time being. The writers strike could have potentially had a tremendous impact on Sutter’s upcoming SOA spinoff Mayans MC, and he is clearly pleased that the tentative deal between the WGA and management’s AMPTP recognizes that Hollywood ought to put “brains before bullets.”

The 56-year-old director tweeted a link to a Deadline article about a tentative agreement being reached to avoid the Writer’s Guild strike. He shared the story with the caption: “Brains Before Bullets. DEAL!! WGA Details Gains After Post – Deadline Accord Averts Strike – Deadline.”

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On Tuesday, the WGA negotiating committee announced that the writers made gains “in minimums across the board – as well as contribution increases to [their] Health Plan that should ensure solvency for years to come.”

According to Deadline, “the WGA said the deal will net the guild’s members ‘$130 million more over the life of the contract.’”

The Writers’ Guild released this full statement on May 2:

Dear Colleagues–

Your Negotiating Committee is pleased to report that we have reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP that we can recommend for ratification.

In it, we made gains in minimums across the board – as well as contribution increases to our Health Plan that should ensure its solvency for years to come. And we further expanded our protections in Options and Exclusivity.

We also made unprecedented gains on the issue of short seasons in television, winning a definition (which has never before existed in our MBA) of 2.4 weeks of work for each episodic fee. Any work beyond that span will now require additional payment for hundreds of writer-producers.

We won a 15% increase in Pay TV residuals, roughly $15 million in increases in High-Budget SVOD residuals, and, for the first time ever, residuals for comedy-variety writers in Pay TV.

And, also for the first time ever, job protection on Parental Leave.

Did we get everything we wanted? No. Everything we deserve? Certainly not. But because we had the near-unanimous backing of you and your fellow writers, we were able to achieve a deal that will net this Guild’s members $130 million more, over the life of the contract, than the pattern we were expected to accept.

That result, and that resolve, is a testament to you, your courage, and your faith in us as your representatives.

We will, of course, provide more details in the next few days. But until then, we just wanted to thank you – and congratulate you. Your voices were indeed heard.

When Kurt Sutter isn’t tweeting about the writers’ strike, he has been busy filming the pilot for Mayans MC. He even posted an awesome photo to commemorate the final day of filming for the show which will likely air in the fall.

Also, in case you missed it, check out the official synopsis for Mayans MC below:

Set in the aftermath of Jax Teller’s death at the end of SOA’s seven-season run in 2014, Mayans MC will focus on the struggles of Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes, a prospect in the Mayan MC charter on the California/Mexico border. EZ is the gifted son of a proud Latino family, whose American dream was snuffed out by cartel violence. Now, his need for vengeance drives him toward a life he never intended and can never escape.

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[H/T Twitter: Kurt Sutter, Deadline]