After months of striking from the WGA, it seems a tentative decision has been reached between the union for writers and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, just as studios were beginning their own conversations outside of the AMPTP’s dealings. This comes after months of striking throughout the summer. In July, SAG-AFTRA joined the writers on the picket lines as well.
Currently, we do not know the details of the agreement. The WGA posted a statement to their socials on Sunday evening, September 24, stating that after 146 days of striking, the two sides have come to a provisional agreement on the terms of a new contract.
“The WGA and AMPTP have reached a tentative agreement. This was made possible by the enduring solidarity of WGA members and extraordinary support of our union siblings who stood with us for over 146 days. More details coming after contract language is finalized,” the tweet from the official WGA East account reads.
The agreement came after a weekend of conversations between the two parties. On Friday, September 22, there were rumored whispers of a deal. On Saturday, the AMPTP and WGA announced they’d meet again throughout the weekend before ultimately announcing a new deal had been reached on Sunday. Though this has been a long time coming, it is time for the writers and their supporters, who have been on the picket lines day in and day out during the strikes supporting the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, to celebrate.
This is an undeniably exciting development, but it is still important to look to the official WGA accounts for up-to-date news on what this agreement looks like as they finalize the contract language with the AMPTP. The SAG-AFTRA strike is also still ongoing, but many believe that this new WGA deal could help the actors union strike a deal in the end as well.
The future of Hollywood
One of the biggest discussion points for the WGA was the use of AI in script writing and other parts of the production process. While we don’t currently know what the outcome of that fight is, the tentative agreement at least gives some hope. There are, however, still discussions to be had between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP regarding the actors’ battle for AI regulations and residuals as well. Hopefully, the WGA deal will be the catalyst for the studios and streamers to give actors a fair deal, too, as the studios have been disrespectful and greedy towards their creatives for nearly five months now.
The WGA deal is one that members have fought long and hard for, so seeing the writers and their supporters celebrate online when the news broke was exciting. Hopefully, the deal will be settled soon and these wonderful creatives can get back to doing the work they love. The members of the WGA do still need to agree to the terms of the new contract, however, so nothing is final yet.
We would not have the entertainment we know and love without writers and actors. SAG-AFTRA is still in this fight. Yes, the hope is that this new contract can push their conversations forward, too, but we don’t know what the outcome will be yet. Hopefully, this tentative deal shows writers the respect they deserve while giving actors the leverage they need to fight for their own fair deal, as well.
(featured image: Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
