Hollywood writers overwhelmingly ratify tentative contract deal

Don Jacobson
·2 min read
UPI
Members of the SAG-AFTRA actors union joined striking Writers Guild of America members on the picket lines at Paramount Studios in Hollywood on August 31. WGA member ratified a tentative deal on Monday while SAG-AFTRA members remain on strike. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI

Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Members of the Writers Guild of America have overwhelmingly ratified a tentative agreement reached last month with Hollywood movie and television producers, the union announced Monday.

The WGA's leadership said 99% of its more than 8,500 members voted to ratify the agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, officially ending a 146-day strike, the second-longest writers strike in history.

"Through solidarity and determination, we have ratified a contract with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of our combined membership," WGA-West President Meredith Stiehm said in a statement. "Together we were able to accomplish what many said was impossible only six months ago."

"The AMPTP member companies congratulate the WGA on the ratification of its new contract, which represents meaningful gains and protections for writers," the producers' group said. "It is important progress for our industry that writers are back to work."

The three-year deal includes pay bumps and increased residuals from streaming on services such as Netflix and Disney+, which was a driving issue behind the strike.

It also stipulates that material generated by artificial intelligence is not considered literary source material or assigned material and that studios cannot require writers to use AI software, but writers may use it if they choose to and their studio consents.

Meanwhile, Hollywood actors represented by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists remain out on strike. AMPTP said on Friday talks were set to resume Monday while parties worked internally over the weekend.

WGA-East President Lisa Takeuchi Cullen said it's now time for the AMPTP "to put the rest of the town back to work by negotiating a fair contract with our SAG-AFTRA siblings, who have supported writers throughout our negotiations."

The union clarified Friday that performers on NBC's Saturday Night Live work under a separate contract not covered by the strike action, and thus are free to return. The network announced the venerable comedy show will kick off its 49th season on Oct. 14 while many other shows remain shut down.