Hollywood writers guild ends strike ahead of final contract vote
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[September 27, 2023]
By Lisa Richwine and Dawn Chmielewski
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Hollywood's writers union said its members could
return to work on Wednesday while they decide whether to approve a
three-year deal that provides pay raises and some protections around use
of artificial intelligence among other gains.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) leadership voted unanimously to end
the strike on Wednesday, the guild said in a statement. The 11,500
members have until Oct. 9 to cast their votes on the proposed contract.
The WGA said the estimated value of the deal was $233 million per year.
Film and television writers walked off the job in May after failing to
reach a deal with major studios, including Netflix, Walt Disney and
Warner Bros Discovery.
Writers appeared to have won concessions across the board, with raises
over the three years of the contract, increased health and pension
contributions, and AI safeguards.
Under the agreement, the studios agreed to meet at least twice a year
with the guild to discuss plans to use AI in film development and
production.
The studios are not expressly prohibited from using AI to generate
content. Writers, however, have the right to sue if their work is used
to train AI.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Jul/22/images/ads/current/rohlfs_lda_072017.png)
Writers can choose to use AI when drafting scripts, but a company cannot
require the use of the software. The studios also must disclose to a
writer if any materials were generated by AI.
In other areas, the guild said it won guarantees of minimum staffing in
writers’ rooms, a key issue for many of its members. Staffing will be
determined by the number of episodes per season. Minimum pay rates will
climb by more than 12% over three years.
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![](../images/092723PIX/ent_b.20.jpg)
The iconic Hollywood sign is pictured the day after the Writers
Guild of America (WGA) announced it reached a preliminary labor
agreement with major studios in Los Angeles, California, U.S.,
September 25, 2023. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Sep/27/images/ads/current/chicagostreet_quarter_FAIR_2023.png) Also, residuals will rise for the
use of TV shows and movies outside of the United States and a bonus
will be awarded for the most popular shows on streaming.
"These are essential protections that the companies told us, to our
faces, that they would NEVER give us," writer Adam Conover, a member
of the guild's negotiating committee, posted on social media
platform X.
"But because of our solidarity, because they literally cannot make a
dollar without us, they bent, then broke, and gave us what we
deserve. WE WON," Conover said.
Television writer David Slack said: "Our strike was necessary. Our
strike was effective. Our strike is a victory."
The strike's end means daytime and late-night talk shows can return
to the air. Bill Maher, host of HBO's "Real Time," said on social
media that he would be back with fresh episodes starting Friday.
"My writers and Real Time are back!" Maher wrote.
Maher and Drew Barrymore had angered writers by saying this month
that their talk shows would return before the strike ended.
The end of the WGA strike does not return Hollywood to normal. The
SAG-AFTRA actors union walked off the job in July and remains on
strike.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine and Dawn Chmielewski; Editing by Jamie
Freed, Leslie Adler and Gerry Doyle)
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