Writers Guild of America East members walk a picket line on the Paramount+ Summit outside the Paramount Constructing in Times Square in Recent York City on May 17, 2023
Alexi Rosenfeld | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images
The Writers Guild of America has officially ratified its recent three-year contract with Hollywood studios.
The guild on Monday announced that 99% of its membership voted to ratify the brand new deal, with 8,435 votes for “yes” and only 90 for “no.” The terms of the brand new agreement go from Sept. 25 through May 1, 2026.
“Through solidarity and determination, we have now ratified a contract with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of our combined membership,” said Meredith Stiehm, president of Writers Guild of America West.
The WGA secured pay increases in each of the subsequent three years, artificial intelligence restrictions and a recent residual system for streaming based on viewership. The guild also negotiated higher contribution rates to health advantages and pensions, in addition to a guaranteed variety of writers in writers’ rooms for television shows.
The primary productions to return after the strike ended were late-night heavyweights Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert, followed by John Oliver, host of “Last Week Tonight.”
Now it is the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists’ turn. The actors guild began negotiations with the likes of Disney, Paramount, Netflix, Universal and Warner Bros. Discovery last week.
“Until the studios make a deal that addresses the needs of performers, WGA members might be on the picket lines, walking side-by-side with SAG-AFTRA in solidarity,” said Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, president of Writers Guild of America East.
SAG-AFTRA is seeking to improve wages, working conditions and health and pension advantages, in addition to establish guardrails for the usage of AI in future television and film productions. Moreover, the union is looking for more transparency from streaming services about viewership in order that residual payments will be made equitable to linear TV. The guild can also be seeking to standardize the self-tape process.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC. NBCUniversal is a component of the AMPTP.
