The Writers Guild of America and Hollywood studios reached a tentative agreement on Sunday, Sept. 24, to end the almost five-month-long screenwriters strike.
The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios, streaming services, and production businesses in discussions, announced the agreement in a joint statement.
“WGA has reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP,” the guild said in an email to members. “This was made possible by the enduring solidarity of WGA members and extraordinary support of our union siblings who joined us on the picket lines for over 146 days.”
Remember that on May 2, around 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America went on strike over compensation, the size of writing staffs on shows, and the usage of artificial intelligence in screenplay production.
Actors joined the writers on strike in July to protest their own difficulties, but no talks about resuming negotiations with the actors union have taken place.
The deal reached between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers came after five long days of fresh talks between WGA and AMPTP negotiators, who were occasionally joined by studio officials.
The three-year contract agreement must be approved by the guild’s board and members before the strike officially ends.
In a longer message from the guild shared by members on social media, the writers were told the strike is not over and no one was to return to work until hearing otherwise, but picketing is to be suspended immediately.
The terms of the deal were not immediately announced.
“SAG-AFTRA congratulates the WGA on reaching a tentative agreement with the AMPTP after 146 days of incredible strength, resiliency and solidarity on the picket lines,” the actors union said in a statement. “While we look forward to reviewing the WGA and AMPTP’s tentative agreement, we remain committed to achieving the necessary terms for our members.”
The statement said the guild continues “to urge the studio and streamer CEOs and the AMPTP to return to the table and make the fair deal that our members deserve and demand.”
The proposed solution to the writers strike came as talks resumed for the first time in a month on Wednesday, Sept. 20. Disney CEO Bob Iger, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, and NBCUniversal CEO Donna Langley reportedly participated in direct negotiations.
It was reached without the involvement of federal mediators or other government officials, as had previously been required in prior strikes.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement congratulating the two parties on the agreement and expressing hope that the same can happen with actors shortly.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom did the same, saying writers “went on strike over existential threats to their careers and livelihoods — expressing real concerns over the stress and anxiety workers are feeling. I am grateful that the two sides have come together.”