Hollywood Writers Overwhelmingly Approve Contract Ending 5-Month Strike, Actors Still in Negotiations
In a major victory for Hollywood writers, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced on Monday that nearly all its members had voted in favor of ratifying the contract agreement that ended their strike of almost five months. With an overwhelming 99% of the 8,525 members supporting the deal, the writers can now resume work. However, negotiations between actors and studios are still ongoing as they try to find a resolution to their own strike.
The agreement reached by the WGA leaders was met with widespread praise and hailed as a win for the writers. It includes significant gains in payment, the size of show staffs, and control over artificial intelligence in scripts. The outcome of the vote was never really in doubt, considering the strong support shown by the members over the past week.
Meredith Stiehm, president of the WGA-East, expressed her satisfaction with the outcome, stating, Together we were able to accomplish what many said was impossible only six months ago. The new contract for writers will be in effect until May 1, 2026, three years after their previous contract expired, leading to the strike.
Meanwhile, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) leaders have returned to the negotiating table with studios. Their strike, which began nearly three months ago, has disrupted the entertainment industry. Unlike the intense negotiations that resolved the writers’ strike, the actors and studios are proceeding more steadily, and progress in their talks remains uncertain.
The leaders of the writers’ guild have urged studios to meet the actors’ demands and have pledged their support by picketing alongside them until a deal is reached. It remains to be seen how long it will take for the actors’ strike to be resolved and for them to return to work.
The successful resolution of the writers’ strike was made possible through negotiations involving top executives from Disney, Netflix, and Warner Bros Discovery. A tentative agreement was reached on September 24, and it was approved by the board members just two days later, officially ending the strike. This allowed writers to swiftly resume their work, with late-night talk shows returning to the air within a week, followed soon after by shows like Saturday Night Live.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios, streaming services, and production companies, commended the writers for their overwhelming support of the contract. In a statement, they acknowledged that the agreement represents meaningful gains and protections for writers, highlighting it as an important step forward for the industry now that writers are back to work.
The news of the Hollywood writers overwhelmingly approving their contract will bring relief to the industry, as it signals the end of a prolonged strike that had disrupted production schedules and caused significant financial losses. As negotiations continue between actors and studios, the hope is that a similar resolution can be reached, allowing the entertainment industry to fully regain its momentum.
