LOS ANGELES (AP) — The screenwriters union and Hollywood studios reached a surprise four-year tentative agreement after roughly three weeks of negotiation.
The Writers Guild of America West announced on X that its negotiating committee unanimously approved the tentative agreement with The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios. The alliance confirmed the deal in a statement on its website Saturday.
“We look forward to building on this progress as we continue working toward agreements that support long-term industry stability,” read the alliance statement.
The precise terms of the deal were not immediately announced, but it is expected to cover several key writers’ priorities such as improved health care plans and additional protections against artificial intelligence. The union stated on X that the agreement safeguards the writers’ health plan and aims to address issues related to unpaid work.
This contract agreement is a year longer than the typical three-year deal and is still subject to approval by the guild’s board and its members before ratification.
The current agreement comes amidst significant industry changes, including an ongoing staff strike by the Writers Guild of America, which started in February. With more than 100 employees in legal, event, and residuals departments participating in this strike due to allegations of unfair labor practices, it is uncertain how this might impact the new tentative deal with studios.
The writers’ tentative deal with studios also coincides with new negotiations that studios are conducting with unions representing actors and directors, whose contracts are expiring at the end of June.
In light of the writer's previous historic strikes, which led to considerable industry disruptions, this agreement marks a notable step toward mitigating conflicts and fostering cooperation between studios and writers.
