Hollywood writers approve new studios contract

Washington DC [US], October 10 :Hollywood film and TV writers voted overwhelmingly to approve a new three-year contract with the major entertainment studios, the Writers Guild of America said on Monday, formally bringing to a close a bitter five-month labor dispute, reported The New York Times.
According to the Writers Guild, which represents more than 11,000 screenwriters, more than 8,500 writers cast ballots during the one-week voting session, and the contract was confirmed with 99 percent of the vote.
During the one-week voting period, more than 8,500 writers submitted ballots, and the contract was ratified with 99 percent of the vote, according to the Writers Guild, which represents more than 11,000 screenwriters.
"Together we were able to accomplish what many said was impossible only six months ago," said Meredith Stiehm, the president of the Writers Guild's western branch, in an email to members.
According to The New York Times, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which bargains on behalf of the major studios, congratulated the union in a statement, adding, "It is important progress for our industry that writers are back to work."
Ratification was widely anticipated, and the practical consequences of the vote will be fairly minimal. The agreement had previously been unanimously approved by the Writers Guild board of directors, and the 148-day screenwriter strike -- one of the longest in the union's history -- concluded on September 27.
Picketing was immediately called off, and writers returned to work. Productions that do not require the services of prominent actors, most commonly discussion shows, including "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" -- have already started airing new episodes. Productions of scripted movies and TV shows remain paused.
During the screenwriter voting period, all attention in the entertainment industry has been focused on the negotiations between studios and SAG-AFTRA, the union representing tens of thousands of striking actors. The two sides began bargaining on October 2, and were scheduled for another session on Monday. The meetings are the first formal sit-downs between the sides since the actors went on strike on July 14, reported The New York Times.
Like their counterparts in the screenwriter's guild, leaders of the actors' union have called this moment "existential." They are seeking wage increases, as well as protections around the use of artificial intelligence. The last time the two unions were on strike at the same time was 63 years ago.
The strikes brought Hollywood to a halt, and the financial consequences have been severe. Aside from the authors and actors, over 100,000 behind-the-scenes personnel were laid off for months. The California economy has suffered a $5 billion loss. The major studios' stock prices have fallen. The box business has suffered as movie releases have been postponed until 2024.
The entertainment sector is optimistic that an agreement between the performers and the studios will be struck soon. Thousands of entertainment employees, including drivers, makeup artists, florists, and set builders, will be able to return to work once the actors' strike is concluded.
According to The New York Times, top entertainment executives -- including the Walt Disney Company chief executive, Robert A. Iger; a Netflix co-chief executive, Ted Sarandos; the Warner Bros. Discovery chief executive, David Zaslav; and the NBCUniversal Studio Group chairman, Donna Langley -- have participated in the bargaining sessions with SAG-AFTRA, much like they did in the final rounds of negotiations with the writers.
On September 24, the Writers Guild struck a tentative agreement with the studios, and there was little question that it would be ratified by rank-and-file members. Recent informational membership meetings to discuss the future deal have devolved into spontaneous celebrations, with long standing ovations for the union executives who negotiated the new contract.
The ratification results exceeded the margin the last time the writers were on strike. In 2008, 93.6 percent of 4,060 screenwriters voted to ratify that contract, reported The New York Times.