Finally, after 148 days which wreaked economic devastation, it’s over. After reaching a tentative agreement with the AMPTP Sunday night, the Writers Guild of America told its members they could go back to work today although the new three-year deal has not been officially ratified by the membership.
Over the weekend, the union’s negotiating team met with studio heads of NBC Universal, Disney, Netflix and Warner Bros. (Donna Langley, Bob Iger, Ted Sarandos and David Zaslav) Bros. resulting in the deal the Guild called “exceptional.”
It will ensure minimum staffing of TV writers rooms, increase residuals from streaming shows and protect against writing being done by artificial intelligence.
In other good news portending an end to what many called “hot strike summer,” SAG-AFTRA will begin negotiations with the AMPTP October 2.
The actors have been out on strike since July. Both unions supported each other on the picket lines, along with members of the Teamsters, IATSE and other entertainment industry unions.
The tentative agreements means late night shows will return to the air beginning Monday, and studios have started to reinstate deals with individual writers and producers.
In California alone, the 5-month long work stoppage is estimated to have taken a $5 billion toll on the economy.
