After 148 days, screenwriters ended their strike on Wednesday. Their guild, the Writers Guild of America (WGA), accepted an offer from film producers. From October 2 to 9, the 11,500 members will vote on a three-year contract.
Actors continue to strike
The contract improves wages and working conditions, which the union says will cost the studios $233 million. At the beginning of negotiations, they offered $86 million, according to the New York Times. There was also agreement on artificial intelligence. Studios are not allowed to use AI, but authors can use it to support them if the studio allows it. Support for screenwriters’ retirement and health care will be increased.
However, the end of the authors’ strike does not mean the end of the labor dispute. 160,000 actors in the acting union SAG-AFTRA as well as about 100,000 employees who work behind the camera (such as directors, cameramen and lighting technicians) remain on strike. I joined the writers’ strike. Fronts between the producers and the actors’ union have hardened, and there have been no talks since the strike began in July.
The first double whammy of actors and screenwriters in the United States in more than 60 years nearly brought Hollywood to a standstill.
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