The suspense story has been going on for almost five months, and the outcome is approaching. The Writers Guild of America (WGA), the screenwriters’ union, reached a tentative agreement with the studios on Sunday, September 24, that could end the massive strike that is paralyzing the industry.
“We have reached an agreement in principle on a new [minimum basic agreement] 2023, that is to say an agreement in principle on all points of the agreement, subject to the final wording of the contract,” specifies a letter sent by the WGA to its members. “We can say, with great pride, that this agreement is exceptional – with significant gains and protections for screenwriters in all sectors of members’ activity,” said the union.
The letter, which Agence France-Presse was able to consult, does not give details of the agreement, but indicates that the details are being worked out and that the final word will be up to the members. The three-year contract agreement, reached after five intense days of negotiations between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), must be approved by the guild’s board of directors and members for the strike officially ends.
No return to work until further notice
“To be clear, no one should return to work until expressly authorized by the guild. We are still on strike until then. But starting today, we are suspending WGA picketing,” the union added.
Thousands of film and television writers put down their pens at the beginning of May to demand better pay, better rewards for creating hit shows and protection from artificial intelligence. They have been picketing companies like Netflix and Disney for months and, joined by striking actors in mid-July, have paralyzed the entertainment industry.
The agreement comes just five days before the strike became the longest in the guild’s history and the longest Hollywood strike in more than seventy years. Thanks to this agreement, iconic evening shows like that of hosts Jimmy Fallon on NBC and Jimmy Kimmel on ABC could return to the air within a few days.
On the other hand, no agreement has been announced for the actors on strike. Negotiations have not yet resumed between the studios and SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), the union that represents 160,000 actors working in film, television and radio.
“SAG-AFTRA commends the WGA for reaching a tentative agreement with AMPTP after 146 days of incredible strength, resistance and solidarity on the picket lines,” the union said. actors in a press release. “While we look forward to reviewing the WGA and AMPTP’s agreement in principle, we remain committed to securing the necessary terms for our members,” he added.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass released a statement congratulating both parties on the deal and hoping the same will happen soon for the actors.
A blockage that would cost $5 billion
Among their demands, the screenwriters asserted that their salaries have not kept up with inflation. They also want to be able to earn much more when one of their films or series is a hit on a streaming platform, instead of receiving a lump sum payment, which is generally quite low, regardless of the popularity of the program.
The two trades also want safeguards against the use of artificial intelligence (AI): actors fear seeing their image or voice cloned, while screenwriters fear that AI could be used for scripts and that they are paid less, or that their scripts are used to train robots.
The WGA strike is much longer than that of the screenwriters in 2007-2008, which lasted 100 days and cost the Californian economy $2.1 billion (nearly €2 billion). In early September, the Financial Times reported a Milken Institute study estimating the cost of Hollywood’s current shutdown at $5 billion.
