Hollywood Reacts to Tentative WGA, AMPTP Deal: “We Did It!”
Striking writers and other members of Hollywood are calling the tentative deal reached by the Writers Guild and the AMPTP on Sunday a “victory.”
The deal was announced Sunday, which was 146 days after the writers strike began on May 2 and following five back-to-back days of negotiations that ran through the weekend.
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In its message to members, the union’s negotiating committee asked for patience on details of the pact: “What remains now is for our staff to make sure everything we have agreed to is codified in final contract language. 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.”
“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. 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 actors union, which also is striking. “Since the day the WGA strike began, SAG-AFTRA members have stood alongside the writers on the picket lines. We remain on strike in our TV/Theatrical contract and continue 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 DGA, which ratified its own new deal with the AMPTP in June, also issued a note of congratulations to the WGA. “Congratulations to the WGA on reaching a tentative agreement tonight on behalf of their members,” the directors guild said in its statement. “We have been proud to support the writers in their fight for a fair deal and look forward to reviewing the details of the agreement. Now it’s time for the AMPTP to get back to the table with SAG-AFTRA and address the needs of performers.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom also released his own statement: “California’s entertainment industry would not be what is today without our world class writers. For over 100 days, 11,000 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 to reach an agreement that benefits all parties involved, and can put a major piece of California’s economy back to work.”
The two sides were close to reaching a deal for several days, according to studio-side sources, after returning to the table for the first time since May 2 in late-August. Lawyers were reportedly working on contract language since Friday night and had moved to finer details on Saturday morning. One of the key issues that kept both sides at the table over the weekend was artificial intelligence.
The tentative agreement, which still must be ratified by the union’s membership of more than 11,500 writers, could mark the end of one of the longest strikes in Hollywood history, the third longest in the WGA’s nearly 70 years and the first double-strike alongside SAG-AFTRA since 1960.
Frequently labeled a turning point negotiation for the entire industry, the strike has been centered around issues both recurring and emerging in entertainment’s expanded streaming age. That includes healthcare contributions and adjustments to the current structure of residuals, but also guardrails around the use of AI and transparency regarding streaming performance.
For writers both union, pre-WGA and non-union who stood in solidarity, the last five months have proven challenging. Scribes have faced food insecurity, the loss of their homes, the end of first-look deals, and on the daily line, dangers like high temps and car traffic.
Now, with a tentative agreement locked down, Hollywood is celebrating what could not only usher in the end of the writers work stoppage, but will see the AMPTP return to the table with SAG-AFTRA to firm up a deal with the performer’s union and end their more than two months work stoppage.
See some of the initial reactions below.
NegCom @WGAWest @WGAEast #wgastrong pic.twitter.com/diYDKoW1xE
— Kay Cannon (@KayKayCannon) September 25, 2023
This has been one of the most stressful experiences of my life but at no point was it ever not worth it. I’m proud to have played a part, however small, in this chapter of the Guild’s history.
— Eric Haywood (@EricHaywood) September 25, 2023
Thank you all for your unwavering support and enormous patience. I’m in awe of this membership. ❤️ https://t.co/Ouj5XBU54Q
— Dailyn "La Jefa" Rodriguez (@dailynrod) September 25, 2023
We got a deal. That was the hardest I’ve worked in forever. Captain signing off!
— Caroline “WGA Captain on Strike” Renard (@carolinerenard_) September 25, 2023
I love unions, I love writers, I love Drew Carey, I love everyone who I walked with on the picket line.
— Leila Cohan (@leilacohan) September 25, 2023
Very thankful to see a tentative agreement reached in the #wgastrike, and my immediate thought is to thank all the other unions – most especially those in IATSE and the Teamsters – who took it on the chin supporting this fight.
— Chris Gethard (@ChrisGethard) September 25, 2023
After 146 Days, white smoke is finally emitting from the Sherman Oaks Galleria signifying that the AMPTP and WGA have reached a tentative agreement! pic.twitter.com/qDUt2qmbee
— Americana At Brand Memes (@americanamemes) September 25, 2023
Per, #WGA, below.
Netflix Strike Captains, YOU ARE THE ABSOLUTE BEST. We need a closing moment. pic.twitter.com/K3zkeuIl6z— Justine Bateman (@JustineBateman) September 25, 2023
THANK YOU TO THE NEGOTIATION COMMITTEE — to @ellenstutzman and David Goodman and Chris Keyser and all the other writers on that committee, I fucking love you all for doing this for us, I will never forget what you have had to shoulder to get us here!!!
— Helen Shang, WGA strike captain 🫡 (@helenshang) September 25, 2023
Been crying for the past 10 minutes. #WGAStrong pic.twitter.com/qU6AkSwO5f
— Jackie (Decembly) Penn – WGA Captain at WB (@JackiePenn18) September 25, 2023
YOU did this, you beautiful badass writers. This is YOUR victory.
None of this would’ve been possible without your unshakable support.#WGAStrong pic.twitter.com/fQ0v5bwx13— Eric Haywood (@EricHaywood) September 25, 2023
I am so fucking proud of us.
— angelina burnett (@wgangelinab) September 25, 2023
— liz hynes (@anticapitalizm) September 25, 2023
I simply adore & admire the official communications from the @WGAEast & @WGAWest to their members. It’s clear, powerful, & transparent, & a model for those of us on the @sagaftra Negotiating Committee as we proceed with our negotiations. #WGAStrong #SagAftraStrong #SAGAFTRAstrike pic.twitter.com/K5WeGUPetx
— Anthony Rapp SAG-AFTRA National Board Member (@albinokid) September 25, 2023
— David Slack (@slack2thefuture) September 25, 2023
We did it. We have a tentative deal.
Over the coming days, we'll discuss and vote on it, together, as a democratic union. But today, I want to thank every single WGA member, and every fellow worker who stood with us in solidarity. You made this possible. Thank you. #WGAStrong pic.twitter.com/KfzVKoPMPz— Adam Conover (@adamconover) September 25, 2023
I think I just heard a firework go off. I LOVE LOS ANGELES
— Alison Bennett (@bennettleigh) September 25, 2023
They didn’t break us.
They couldn’t trick us.
They can’t do without us.
We held strong together as one union to demand our fair share.
And that’s why we won.#WGAStrong https://t.co/CE89XWGgc6— David Slack (@slack2thefuture) September 25, 2023
WGA CAPTAINS! I am so honored to have fought 146 days beside you! We did it!
— Caroline “WGA Captain on Strike” Renard (@carolinerenard_) September 25, 2023
AND LOOK HOW GREAT OUR CALVES LOOK NOW!!!!!
— Sterling Gates (@sterlinggates) September 25, 2023
Fuck off neutral gate. You can watch yourself.
— Daniel Kunka (@unikunka) September 25, 2023
SAG next. No one gets left behind.
— Gennifer Hutchison (@GennHutchison) September 25, 2023
I’ll miss you most of all, Fake Carol. https://t.co/uQmexsNeJC
— sierra ornelas (@sierraornelas) September 25, 2023
Clear eyes, Full ❤️❤️❤️, Can’t Lose. #wgastrong #SagAftraStrong pic.twitter.com/exf8Rv5HwQ
— Monica Beletsky (@MonicaBeletsky) September 25, 2023
Alright.
Time to start that spec script I thought I was gonna have done by now.— Kyle McVey (@rocket_kyle) September 25, 2023
This is probably the happiest I've ever felt on Yom Kippur.
— Josh Gondelman (@joshgondelman) September 25, 2023
This is probably the happiest I've ever felt on Yom Kippur.
— Josh Gondelman (@joshgondelman) September 25, 2023
Now we have to line up and shake all the CEO’s hands and say “good game.”
— philippe “total landscaping” iujvidin🥉 (@philyuck) September 25, 2023
Guess I won’t have to lug this fucking thing around anymore #WGAStrong pic.twitter.com/x2ydUAyx29
— Eric Haywood (@EricHaywood) September 25, 2023
I’m so happy for us all that this can be over. I’m looking forward to seeing the details of what we’ve won. I’m waiting to hear when @sagaftra will get their turn at the table. I’m happy that we can all look for work again, for those of us that don’t have it. And 1/
— Melissa “WGA Captain” Marlette (@MelissaMarlette) September 25, 2023
Proud AF to be a member of the WGA. #WeDidIt #UnionStrong #LetsGo ✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/rAqqANY1O4
— Natasha Rothwell (@natasharothwell) September 25, 2023
I’m so happy for us all that this can be over. I’m looking forward to seeing the details of what we’ve won. I’m waiting to hear when @sagaftra will get their turn at the table. I’m happy that we can all look for work again, for those of us that don’t have it. And 1/
— Melissa “WGA Captain” Marlette (@MelissaMarlette) September 25, 2023
Thank you
If you picketed
If you were a captain
If you worked a different job to stay afloat and stay strong
If you fought if you were scared if you were out there if you wish you could have been
If you had our backs
If you showed up
If you retweeted, donated, helped
Thank you— Layne Morgan (@laynemorgan) September 25, 2023
And now it’s @SAGAFTRA’s turn. We will walk with you til your deal is done.
— Warren Leight (@warrenleightTV) September 25, 2023
BREAKING: Stock in Costco Pizza has plummeted.
— Jesse McLaren (@McJesse) September 25, 2023
Hey, Drew Carey, where you at tonight? There are 11,500 guild members who owe you a meal (or 2 or 300).
— NOAH EVSLIN (@nevslin) September 25, 2023
Just a heads up, please know that even after the end of the strike, if you are a writer still experiencing financial problems because of it, you can still access the WGA strike fund.
— Justin Halpern (@justin_halpern) September 25, 2023
Big thank you to the one-stall men’s room at the Whole Foods across from the Warner Brothers lot. Your work is done.
— Matt Warburton (@MCWarburton) September 25, 2023
@carolinerenard_ leading the vibes at Idle Hour #WGAstrong pic.twitter.com/3i56LvzUV0
— Nerris Nevarez-Nassiri (@NerrisNassiri) September 25, 2023
History will look back on the strike as among the most significant events in the #WGA’s history, as many #writers had long since become disillusioned w/the business side of our craft and stood up for real change.
It’s not over yet but the future of this industry is in our hands.— Joel Eisenberg (@joel_eisenberg) September 24, 2023
The only person more excited than writers right now is Drew Carey’s accountant.
— Gennefer Gross (@Gennefer) September 25, 2023
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