WGA Reaches Tentative Deal With AMPTP To End 2023 Writers Strike
25.09.2023 - 11:47
/ etcanada.com
After 146 days on the picket line, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) has struck a tentative deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to end the writers’ strike.
The two groups reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year deal on Sunday night.
WGA West announced the news to Twitter, sharing, “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.”
There was reason for optimism following Wednesday’s meeting between the writers and Hollywood studios. Deadline reported that an insider described the CEO-attended session as “very encouraging.” The meeting was attended by Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, Disney’s Bob Iger, Universal’s Donna Langley and Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav, alongside AMPTP president Carol Lombardi and WGA chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman.
The writers’ strike, which brought Hollywood production to a screeching halt when it began on May 2, still technically continues, however WGA leadership has suspended picketing and protesting efforts.
According to an internal release from the WGA, obtained by Deadline, the tentative deal is “an agreement in principle on all deal points, subject to drafting final contract language.”
The agreement will now be presented to the WGA East and WGA West boards to vote on approving the deal — a process that is expected to take several days.
The WGA and AMPTP tried to negotiate a new deal for six weeks before the WGA’s contract with the studios ended on May 1. When they couldn’t reach a new three-year deal, approximately 11,500 writers