diversity
Hollywood breathes a sigh of relief. The WGA and major studios and streamers have reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year deal that promises to end the 146-day strike that has taken a heavy toll across the content industry.
Negotiators from the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers reached the finish line Sunday after five consecutive days of negotiations. Day 4 on Saturday was spent primarily with Guild and AMPTP lawyers working through the fine print of the language surrounding complicated and groundbreaking additions to the WGA’s minimum basic agreement. The intricacies of the language surrounding the use of generative AI in content production was one of the final points the sides worked on before finalizing the pact.
“We can say with great pride that this deal is exceptional – with significant gains and protections for authors across all areas of membership,” the WGA’s negotiating committee wrote in an email to members at 7:10 p.m. PT (full) . text below).
The strike itself remains in effect pending the Guild’s contract approval and ratification process. But the picket lines have been stopped since Sunday evening. Guild leaders are expected to vote Tuesday on whether to officially lift the strike order against AMPTP signatories.
“To be clear, no one is allowed to return to work until specifically authorized by the Guild. Until then we will still be on strike,” said the message to members.
Details of the contract agreement will not be published until the final version is finalized in the coming days. WGA leadership expects to vote on the final pact on Tuesday. First, the negotiating committee will vote on whether to recommend that the deal be presented to the WGA West Board of Directors and the WGA East Council for a vote. Assuming both votes approve the pact, the treaty will be presented to the 11,000 WGA members for ratification.
“While we are happy to share with you the details of what has been achieved, we cannot do so until the last ‘i’ has been dotted,” the message to members said. “That would complicate our ability to complete the job. So since you have been patient with us before, we ask that you be patient again – one last time.”
After nearly five months of strike action – the work stoppage began on May 2 – it is very likely that the strike will be embraced by members, especially given the enthusiastic support of WGA leaders. As momentum grew this week, negotiators began to view the upcoming Yom Kippur holiday on Sunday as a soft target deadline.
SAG-AFTRA, which has been on strike since July 14, issued a statement congratulating the WGA. It said: “SAG-AFTRA congratulates the WGA on reaching an interim agreement with the AMPTP after 146 days of incredible strength, resilience and solidarity on the picket lines.” As we look forward to reviewing the interim agreement between the WGA and AMPTP, we remain committed to to achieve the necessary conditions for our members. Since the day the WGA strike began, SAG-AFTRA members have stood alongside writers on the picket lines. We continue to strike on our TV/theater contract and continue to call on the studio and streamer CEOs and the AMPTP to return to the table and get the fair deal our members deserve and demand.”
No doubt about it – the WGA prevailed when it forced Hollywood’s largest employers to address the guild’s top priorities in the first comprehensive contract negotiation since 2017 (2020 talks were hampered by the pandemic). When contract negotiations began in March, the guild’s insistence on achieving a guaranteed minimum staffing level for episodic television was considered extremely far-fetched. The unwavering support of the vast majority of WGA members was the force that enabled the Guild’s Negotiating Committee, led by Chris Keyser and David Goodman, to address priority issues. They reached a new streaming remainder formula that would help the striking union SAG-AFTRA in its pursuit of a revenue-based remainder. The WGA’s formula amounts to a bonus system based on predetermined, high performance benchmarks for individual titles. But it’s still more than industry dealmakers predicted when the first round of WGA-AMPTP talks began in earnest last spring.
The end of the WGA strike will hasten the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike. It will also begin to return the creative community to its typical cycles of content production, distribution, marketing and promotion. Television and film production has been in turmoil since the start of the year, when production was slowed in light of the May 1 deadline imposed by the WGA’s contract expiration. It was no secret last year that negotiations over the 2023 Guild Agreement would be challenging given the extent of structural change in television and film.
Hollywood can’t wait to get back to work. But after a five-month production break, studios and streamers need time to get shows and films back on track. As news spread earlier this week that progress had been made at the negotiating table, quiet planning for a return to production intensified, with producers and executives inquiring about the availability of stages and other production resources.
The sides returned to the negotiating table on September 20 after a month of stalled talks. Four key Hollywood executives participated in marathon three-day negotiations that ultimately broke the deadlock. The executives: Bob Iger of Disney, Donna Langley of NBCUniversal, Ted Sarandos of Netflix and David Zaslav of Warner Bros. Discovery.
In a proposal dated August 11, the AMPTP initially attempted to address the guild’s demands for a residual viewership and a minimum occupancy guarantee. The WGA claimed the offer was full of loopholes and exceptions that rendered many of its provisions meaningless.
The AMPTP returned on September 20 with another set of proposals that it hoped would break the deadlock.
As Labor Day came and went, WGA bargaining committee co-chairs Chris Keyser and David Goodman faced increased internal pressure from some prominent members to restart the bargaining process. With an agreement now in place with the WGA, AMPTP negotiators will turn their attention to SAG-AFTRA, which has been on strike since July 14. Production and advertising cannot fully resume until SAG-AFTRA members vote to ratify a new agreement.
The WGA Negotiating Committee issued a detailed statement to members confirming that the interim pact had been reached.
Here is the full text:
DEAR MEMBERS,
We have reached a preliminary agreement on a new MBA 2023, which means an agreement in principle on all contractual points, subject to the drafting of the final contractual language.
What we have gained in this treaty – especially everything we have gained since May 2nd – is thanks to the willingness of this membership to exercise its power, to demonstrate its solidarity, to walk side by side, to endure the pain and uncertainty of the last 146 days. It is the leverage created by your strike, coupled with the extraordinary support of our union brothers and sisters, that ultimately brought the companies back to the bargaining table to reach an agreement.
We’re very proud to say that this deal is exceptional – with significant benefits and protections for authors across all membership areas.
Now our staff must ensure that everything we agreed to is captured in the final contract language. And while we’re happy to share with you the details of what we’ve accomplished, we can’t do that until the last “i” is dotted. This would complicate our ability to complete the task. So since you’ve been patient with us before, we ask you to be patient again – one last time.
Once the Memorandum of Agreement with the AMPTP is finalized, the Negotiating Committee will vote on whether to recommend the agreement and forward it to the WGAW Board of Directors and the WGAE Council for approval. The board and council then vote on whether to authorize a vote on treaty ratification by members.
If approved, the board and council would also vote on whether to lift the injunction and end the strike at a specific date and time (to be determined) pending ratification. This would allow the authors to resume their work during the ratification vote, but would not affect the right of members to make a final decision on treaty approval.
We will provide a comprehensive summary of the treaty items and the Memorandum of Agreement immediately following the leadership votes, tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, pending language resolution. We will also convene meetings where members will have the opportunity to learn more about and evaluate the agreement before ratification is voted on.
To be clear, no one is allowed to return to work until specifically approved by the Guild. Until then we’ll still be on strike. But we are suspending the WGA pickets starting today. Instead, if you are able, we encourage you to join the SAG-AFTRA picket line this week.
Finally, we would like to thank you for your patience as you waited for news from us in the final days of negotiations – and had to fend off rumors. Please wait for further information from the guild. We will have more to share with you in the coming days as we work out the contract formula and work through our unions’ processes.
As always, thank you for your support. You will hear from us again very soon.
WGA NEGOTIATION COMMITTEE
David A. Goodman, Co-Chairman
Chris Keyser, co-chair
Ellen Stutzman, chief negotiator
John August
Angelina Burnett
Kay Cannon
Yahlin Chang
Robb Chavis
Adam Conover
Travis Donnelly
Ashley Gable
Hallie Haglund
Eric Haywood
Eric Heisserer
Greg Iwinski
Luvh Rakhe
Erica Saleh
Danielle Sanchez-Witzel
James Shamus
Tom Schulman
Mike Schur
David Shore
David Simon
Patric M. Verrone
Nicole Yorkin
Ex officio
Meredith Stiehm, WGAW President
Michele Mulroney, WGAW Vice President
Betsy Thomas, WGAW Secretary and Treasurer
Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, WGAE President
Erica Saleh, WGAE vice president of film/TV/streaming
Christopher Kyle, WGAE Secretary and Treasurer