The Writers Guild of America announced it has reached an agreement with Hollywood’s top film and television companies amid one of the longest strikes to ever hit the entertainment industry.
“WGA has reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP,” the guild said in a statement obtained by NBC News Sunday (September 24) night. “This was made possible by the enduring solidarity of WGA members and extraordinary support of our union siblings who joined us on the picket lines for over 146 days.”
The union said it wouldn’t provide further comment regarding the agreement as details would be released upon the conclusion of a vote on the agreement made by the WGA West Board and the WGA East Council scheduled for Tuesday (September 26), which would then need to be ratified with a vote by members.
“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 guild negotiating committee said in the statement shared on Sunday.
WGA suspended its picketing Sunday night upon the announcement. Screenwriters initially began striking on May 2 amid failed negotiations on a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which bargains for studios and streaming services. SAG-AFTRA, a union representing 160,000 Hollywood actors, officially voted to go on strike for the first time since 1980 on July 13 after failed negotiations with major studios and streaming services.
The tentative agreement comes after five days of negotiations with top entertainment companies, with several top executives, including Disney’s Bob Iger, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav and Comcast’s NBCUniversal Studio Group Chairman Donna Langley all reported to have made appearances on Thursday (September 21), a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to NBC News.
