Hollywood studios and union leaders reached a deal Sunday to end the longest-running screenwriter strike in history, though no agreement has yet been reached on behalf of striking actors.
The three-year agreement, which was reached after five days of negotiations between the Guild and the AMPTP, which included studio executives at times, must be ratified by the Guild’s board of directors and members before it can be officially declared the end of the strike. In a joint statement, the Guild and the AMPTA announced that the strike was not over and that picketing would continue until further notice, but that the writers would return to work immediately. The terms of the agreement were not immediately disclosed. The last writers strike ended in 2008 with the approval of more than 90 percent of members.
The agreement comes five days ahead of what would have been the guild’s longest-ever strike, and Hollywood’s longest-running strike in over seven decades. However, as writers brace themselves for a potential return to the grind, negotiations between studios and SAG-AFTRA have yet to resume.
Around 11,500 WGA members walked out on May 2 to protest pay, the number of writers on shows, and the inclusion of AI in the writing process. Crew members who were left without work during the strike will remain jobless for the foreseeable future. Actors joined the WGA in July and have their own grievances, but there has been no sign of negotiations to resume with their union.
“Tenative deal reached for Hollywood writers strike, actors still on picket lines”
Someone hasn’t had enough coffee yet!