The historic five-month strike of Hollywood's writers is now officially approaching its end.
The Writers Guild of America announced tonight that, after reaching a tentative deal with Hollywood's studios on Sunday evening, the WGA Negotiating Committee, the WGAW Board and WGAE Council all voted unanimously to recommend the agreement. The strike will end at 12:01 a.m. PT on Wednesday.
The WGA reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP. Today, our Negotiating Committee, WGAW Board, and WGAE Council all voted unanimously to recommend the agreement. The strike ends at 12:01 am. Check out our deal at https://t.co/c0ULMXhPL7. #WGAStrong pic.twitter.com/7z8kw9xI1p
— Writers Guild of America West (@WGAWest) September 27, 2023
While the agreement will now go to the WGA's membership to vote and accept, they're free to go back to work in the ratification process. Returning to work will not affect their right to make a final determination on contract approval, the guild said today.
It's a major move, with tonight's vote bringing to an end the 148-day work stoppage that was quickly approaching the distinction of the longest WGA strike in history (a 1988 walkout holds onto that title with 154 days). It only marks the end of one major media strike, however, as the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) remains on the picket lines.
That means that while the work of writing and developing film and television can now commence, production is still largely halted while actors are still on strike. Still, today's announcement will likely break the dam on a number of major development announcements, revving up Hollywood once again. The various shows and movies that have halted development, from The Last of Us Season 2 to the upcoming slate of MCU movies, can continue work on their scripts as of tomorrow.
The WGA also revealed the terms won in their negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), posting a summary on their website. It's a lot to dissect, but among the biggest items are restrictions against the use of artificial intelligence, transparency in streaming viewership numbers, and improvements in the staffing and duration of TV writers' rooms.
When it comes to A.I. in particular (also a massive subject in the SAG-AFTRA strike), the agreement dictates that A.I. technology "can’t write or rewrite literary material, and AI-generated material will not be considered source material under the MBA, meaning that AI-generated material can’t be used to undermine a writer’s credit or separated rights." While a writer can choose to use AI in the writing process, a company cannot force them to.
Streaming payment, too, will function differently under the new contract, with the studios agreeing to provide the guild "the total number of hours streamed, both domestically and internationally, of self-produced high budget streaming programs (e.g., a Netflix original series)," under a confidentiality agreement. The agreement also includes pay increases for projects that hit a certain viewership threshold.
Other major items include annual minimum pay increases, increased health and pension contribution rate, and increased compensation for TV series employment.
Should this new Minimum Basic Agreement be ratified by the members, it will last through May 1, 2026.
As mentioned, though, Hollywood's actors are still on the picket lines, and SAG-AFTRA just last night voted to authorize a video game strike, allowing them the option of a work stoppage if they deem it necessary during the negotiations that are still currently taking place. For more on that, check out our chat with video game actors about what they're fighting for.
Thumbnail credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
