Hollywood’s writers will soon return to work after more than four months of striking. The Writers Guild of America announced to its members Sunday evening that the unions have reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers they hail as “exceptional” for every writer involved.
“We have reached a tentative agreement on a new 2023 MBA, which is to say an agreement in principle on all deal points, subject to drafting final contract language,” the WGA negotiating committee said in a statement. While they have yet to release any details from the agreement, they added, “We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional-with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.”
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The agreement now needs to be codified in final contract language, the committee explained, “and though we are eager to share the details of what has been achieved with you, we cannot do that until the last ‘i’ is dotted. To do so would complicate our ability to finish the job. So, as you have been patient with us before, we ask you to be patient again – one last time.”
Once the Memorandum of Agreement with the AMPTP is completed, the negotiating committee will vote on whether or not they can recommend the agreement and send it on for final board and council approval. Following a vote, the contract will be passed on to the WGA membership for a ratification vote.
Writers could return to work amid the ratification process if the board and council vote to lift the restraining order and end the strike at a certain date and time. Hollywood’s writers have been on strike since May 2 following six weeks of failed negotiations with major studios. The 146-day-long strike has marked one of the WGA’s longest strike actions ever, surpassing the 100-day-long 2007-08 strike. Joining the WGA on the picket line is the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, who voted in July to strike – marking the first concurrent strike with the two unions since 1960 and effectively shutting down Hollywood.
Both guilds have asked for higher pay in regards to streaming platforms as studios pivot away from traditional television and theatrical releases. They have also requested protections from the use of artificial intelligence, among other concerns about technological developments. Hollywood has had to pause a number of major projects amid the strike, from the final season of Stranger Things to daytime shows like The Drew Barrymore Show and The Talk, both of which have delayed their air dates after facing backlash for trying to resume production without WGA writers.
