Hollywood writers vote to approve contract deal ending strike while actors negotiate

Hollywood writers almost unanimously approved the contract agreement reached by union leaders that ended the strike after nearly five months; The actors, on the other hand, continue negotiations to find a way out of their strikes.

The Writers Guild of America announced Monday that 99% of the 8,525 members who voted voted to approve the deal.

The deal was widely touted as a victory by leaders and widely praised by members, as it delivered huge gains in pay, the size of show staff and control of artificial intelligence in scripts. The outcome of last week’s vote was never really in doubt.

“Together we have accomplished what many said was impossible just six months ago,” WGA-East president Meredith Stiehm said in a statement.

Meanwhile, nearly three months after the strike began, leaders of the Screen Actors Guild-American Television and Radio Artists returned to contract talks with studios on Monday, a week after talks resumed.

Unlike the marathon night and weekend sessions that brought an end to the writers’ strike, the players and their employers were more methodical in their conversations, and it was unclear how much progress had been made.

Writers’ guild leaders called on the studios to meet the actors’ demands and said their members would strike alongside them until an agreement was reached.

The writers’ new contract runs until May 1, 2026, three years after their previous contract expired and they went on strike. Disney, Netflix and Warner Bros. Following negotiations with the direct participation of Discovery executives, a tentative agreement was reached on September 24. Two days later, a strike occurred when board members voted to approve the agreement and send it to members. It was declared finished and the writers were freed to work.

They started almost immediately; Within a week, late-night talk shows were back on the air, and other programs, including “Saturday Night Live,” soon followed suit.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios, streaming services and production companies in the strike talks, congratulated writers on their vote, saying in a statement that the contract “represents meaningful gains and protections for writers” and that it was “important.” “Having writers back at work has made progress for our industry.”