Just after a midnight deadline on Tuesday, the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers announced a tentative deal on a three-year contract, averting a damaging strike set to begin Tuesday morning. Negotiations had been ongoing in fits and starts since March 13, and last week 96 percent of WGA members authorized a strike, threatening an immediate halt to late-night TV shows and soap operas and more gradual problems for films and scripted TV shows.
In the new contract, subject to WGA member ratification, the writers got increased pay for the shorter TV seasons that are more common on streaming platforms, higher health contributions, and protected parental leave, among other concessions by the Hollywood producers. "Did we get everything we wanted? No," the WGA told members in a memo early Tuesday. "Everything we deserve? Certainly not. But because we had the near-unanimous backing of you and your fellow writers, we were able to achieve a deal that will net this guild's members $130 million more, over the life of the contract, than the pattern we were expected to accept."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.