President Joe Biden praised the tentative agreement to end the Writers Guild of America strike, saying that it showed that workers “deserve a fair share of the value their labor helped create.”
In a statement on Monday, Biden said, “I applaud the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers for reaching a tentative agreement that will allow writers to return to the important work of telling the stories of our nation, our world – and of all of us. This agreement, including assurances related to artificial intelligence, did not come easily. But its formation is a testament to the power of collective bargaining. There simply is no substitute for employers and employees coming together to negotiate in good faith toward an agreement that makes a business stronger and secures the pay, benefits, and dignity that workers deserve. I urge all employers to remember that all workers – including writers, actors, and autoworkers – deserve a fair share of the value their labor helped create.”
Biden previously weighed in on the strike at a White House event in May, shortly after the WGA walked out, and called for writers to get “a fair deal they deserve as soon as possible.”
But unlike his plans to join the picket lines this week of the United Auto Workers, Biden has stayed away from Los Angeles during the WGA and SAG-AFTRA unrest. That has included fundraising in Southern California, as his reelection campaign has drawn high-dollar contributions from studio figures and writers and actors.
The WGA and AMPTP announced a tentative agreement on Sunday. It’s subject to drafting of final contract language, with votes by the guild committees tentatively scheduled for Tuesday. It will still need to be ratified by members, but there may be a vote before then the lift the strike. In the meantime, all picketing has been suspended.
The SAG-AFTRA strike, meanwhile, is still ongoing.
Biden joined other political figures in praising the agreement. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom quickly sent out statements in support after the tentative agreement was announced.
Biden plans to join the UAW picket lines on Tuesday. He then will head to California for a westward swing that includes fundraising. But his schedule is centered on the Bay Area, not Los Angeles.
More to come.
