After 146 days, the Writers Guild of America is close to heading back to work.
The WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) resumed bargaining on Wednesday and reached a tentative deal on Sunday. Final language for the parties’ contract is still being finalized, but should the WGA negotiating committee followed by the WGA West board and the WGA East approve, the contract will then be the subject of a vote among guild membership, where it will likely pass and end the historic strike that began on May 2.
In an email sent to members at 7:10 p.m. PT, the WGA said, “We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional – with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.”
Before the news, the strike was reaching record length — the WGA’s longest ever work stoppage lasted for 154 days in 1988. Though the current strike is still technically on until the membership vote, with new deal terms settled on the issues of staffing minimums, artificial intelligence and more, guild members naturally have cause to celebrate.
“THANK YOU TO EVERY MEMBER OF THE WGA AND OUR NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE!” posted Robin Thede, creator of “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I will still be on the picket line with my fellow SAG-AFTRA members to carry this over the finish line but tonight we celebrate!”
“We did it. We have a tentative deal,” said Adam Conover, a member of the WGA negotiating committee. “Over the coming days, we’ll discuss and vote on it, together, as a democratic union. But today, I want to thank every single WGA member, and every fellow worker who stood with us in solidarity. You made this possible. Thank you.”
“This is the end, beautiful friends,” said “American Crime Story” co-creator Larry Karaszewski.
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass also posted about the strike, noting that she was “grateful” for the “fair agreement.”
Robert King, who created “The Good Wife,” “The Good Fight” and “Evil” with his wife Michelle King, posted a simple: “We have a deal.”
See more reactions below.
More to come…
