It's Official: WGA And Studios End Months-Long Strike With New Deal
A vast majority of Writers Guild of America members voted to ratify a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers Monday, bringing an official end to the WGA's 146-day-long strike.
"We are pleased to announce that 99% of WGA members have voted in favor of ratifying the 2023 MBA," the WGA said in a statement. "Of the 8,525 valid votes cast there were 8,435 'yes' votes and 90 'no' votes (1%). The term of the agreement is from September 25, 2023 through May 1, 2026."
In a note to members, the WGA thanked its still-striking "SAG-AFTRA siblings who have supported writers every step of the way," adding, "We call upon the AMPTP to negotiate a deal that addresses the needs of performers."
On Sept. 24, the WGA posted a message to its membership signaling that it had "reached a tentative agreement" on a new Minimum Basic Agreement, "which is to say an agreement in principle on all deal points, subject to drafting final contract language." The news came as a welcome, if cautious, bit of hope to the guild's writers, who had walked picket lines for months.
"We have reached a tentative agreement on a new 2023 MBA, which is to say an agreement in principle on all deal points, subject to drafting final contract language," the WGA posted in a message to its members at the time.
"We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional," the statement later continued, "with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership."
The WGA, which represents Hollywood movie and TV writers, went on strike in May. Among the writers' demands: better residuals from streaming shows, minimum staff sizes to prevent the use of "mini rooms" and protections from the use of AI.
The actors' guild SAG-AFTRA also chose to strike in July, citing many of the same demands as the WGA. That strike is ongoing.
The dual strikes have brought the TV world to a virtual standstill, with no shows being written or filmed and the networks' fall TV lineups being decimated as a result.