Strikes in Hollywood: Screenwriters and studios reach an agreement

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced on Sunday in Los Angeles that this is a fundamental agreement that still needs to be finalized. Hollywood writers went on strike at the beginning of May.

“We can say with great pride that this agreement is exceptional – with significant gains and safeguards for authors in every sector of our membership,” the WGA said. However, details cannot yet be provided. The WGA also made it clear: Until the agreement is finalized, the strike will continue – even if the WGA members should no longer take to the streets for themselves, but at most to support the actors and actresses who are also striking.

More than 11,000 screenwriters on strike

WGA representatives and representatives of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) sat at the negotiating table for several days – for the first time in many weeks. It was said that Disney boss Bob Iger and CEO David Zaslav from media giant Warner Bros. Discovery took part in the talks.

After unsuccessful negotiations for better working conditions, the more than 11,000 screenwriters of the Writers Guild began the industrial action at the beginning of May. The writers called for, among other things, salary increases, better working conditions, higher subsidies for health and retirement benefits and regulation of the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

Hollywood almost paralyzed

In mid-July, around 160,000 actors from the acting union SAG-AFTRA joined the authors with similar demands. The fronts between the producers and the actors’ union continue to harden – there have been no talks since the strike began in July.

The first double strike by actors and screenwriters in the USA in more than 60 years has almost brought Hollywood to a standstill. Due to the labor dispute, practically no films and series could be filmed. Due to the strike, actors are also not allowed to advertise their films. Film releases have been postponed and the awards season has also been affected. The world’s most important television award, the Emmy – originally scheduled for mid-September – will now not be awarded until January 2024.