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Union leaders said 90% voted to approve the deal struck between
the Writers Guild of America West, Writers Guild of America East
and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Studios
will now shift to negotiations with actors and directors.
Leaders of the unions emphasized gains in health coverage.
“In the face of industry contraction and runaway health care
cost inflation, writers were able to secure a contract that
returns our Health Fund to a sustainable path and builds on
gains from the 2023 strike,” WGA West President Michele Mulroney
said in a statement.
Guild leaders said the deal also includes minimum pay hikes,
especially for comedy and variety writers, with more money in
residuals for the re-airing of their work.
The AMPTP congratulated the union on the ratification.
“This deal reflects a collaborative approach that supports both
writers and the industry’s long-term stability,” it said in its
own statement.
An April 4 tentative agreement came about three weeks after
negotiations began — a stark contrast to the contentious
contract negotiation that along with an actors strike brought
the industry to a standstill in 2023.
The Writers Guild has had its own labor struggles with its
staff, whose strike brought the cancellation of their annual
awards ceremony in March.
Actors, through their union SAG-AFTRA, are still negotiating
their new contract. The groups have negotiated for about a month
and are set to resume Monday after a break.
SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin said in a February interview with
The Associated Press that he has seen signs that the studios
want “to work as partners again."
The Directors Guild begins its contract talks May 11.
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