WEB DESK
In the United States, a monthslong strike by Hollywood’s writers was called off after their union approved a contract agreement with studios. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) leadership voted unanimously to end the strike.
Hollywood’s writers union said its members could return to work from today while they decide whether to approve a three-year deal. The deal provides pay raises and some protections around the use of artificial intelligence among other gains. It was proposed after five days of intensive talks between the guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The 11,500 members have until October 9th to cast their votes on the proposed contract. Industry watchers expect it will be welcomed by the membership. The studios also agreed to meet at least twice a year with the guild to discuss plans to use AI in film development and production under the agreement. This is expected to bring the industry at least partly back from a historic halt in production.
The strike that has paralyzed Hollywood started when Film and television writers walked off the job in May, over demands including better pay, greater rewards for creating hit shows, and protection from artificial intelligence. They had manned picket lines for months outside offices including Netflix and Disney, and were joined by striking actors in mid-July. Meanwhile, Hollywood is said to be a long way from normal service even if the deal is approved as the actors represented by the SAG-AFTRA union are still refusing to work. A resolution to that stoppage is expected to take a minimum of several more weeks.