The epicenter of the global entertainment industry is no stranger to strikes, and the recent five-month-long WGA strike in Hollywood has seen hope to finally reach an end.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have tentatively reached an agreement after negotiations that lasted four consecutive days. As reported by Variety, industry sources have confirmed that the 'best and final offer' was offered to the stakeholders in the writers' strike on Saturday, September 23, 2023.
The two parties are set to meet again on Sunday, October 1, 2023, to consolidate the deal and start with a new three-year contract if the guild's majority votes for the terms of the agreement.
WGA and AMPTP reached a tentative deal on Sunday - Details explored
The dual strike that brought Hollywood to a standstill and blocked releases scheduled for the latter half of the year has seen light at the end of the tunnel as WGA and AMPTP have reportedly arrived at a deal in exchange for the demands.
The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers released a joint statement on Saturday, September 27, 2023.
“The WGA and AMPTP met for bargaining on Saturday and will meet again on Sunday.”
Saturday witnessed the four big shots of the entertainment industry, namely Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, Disney’s Bob Iger, NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley, and Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav, along with legal representatives of labor and management take on a three-day-long negotiations deal. The team developed a draft that was sent over to the WGA negotiators at 5 pm PT on Saturday.
A post was made on Sunday by the strike's official website.
"We have reached a tentative agreement on a new 2023 MBA, which is to say an agreement in principle on all deal points, subject to drafting final contract language.
What we have won in this contract—most particularly, everything we have gained since May 2nd—is due to the willingness of this membership to exercise its power, to demonstrate its solidarity, to walk side-by-side, to endure the pain and uncertainty of the past 146 days. It is the leverage generated by your strike, in concert with the extraordinary support of our union siblings, that finally brought the companies back to the table to make a deal."
It assures,
"We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional—with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership."
The writers will be eligible to vote on the tentative deal once the suggestions and contract language come in from the union's council and board.