148 Days, The Strike Of WGA Writers Will End Tomorrow

WGA strike (Twitter/X @WGAWest)

JAKARTA - The strike for The Writers Guild of America (WGA) union will end on Thursday, September 28 tomorrow. This was done after they found an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

"Today, our negotiating committee, the WGAW Council and the WGAE council voted to recommend the agreement. The strike will end at 12:01," WGA wrote via X or Twitter.

The WGA reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP. Today, our Negotiating Committee, WGAW Board, and WGAE Council all voted unanimously to recommend the agreement. The strike ends at 12:01 am. Check out our deal at https://t.co/c0ULMXhPL7. #WGAStrong pic.twitter.com/7z8kw9xI1p

— Writers Guild of America West (@WGAWest) September 27, 2023

The WGA reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP. Today, our Negotiating Committee, WGAW Board, and WGAE Council all voted unanimously to recommend the agreement. The strike ends at 12:01 am. Check out our deal at https://t.co/c0ULMXhPL7. #WGAStrong pic.twitter.com/7z8kw9xI1p

Launching Pitchfork, the seven-page documents were distributed to 11,500 WGA members and circulated online. Some requests such as wage increases for writers' staff, bonus wages for streaming event success, as well as protection related to AI (Artificial Intelligence) use.

This agreement is effective from September 25, 2023 to May 1, 2026, so the WGA has two and a half years to work under the latest rules.

In the next two years, each author will receive an increase in wages of up to 3.5 percent for their work. The writers will also get paid if the events or series they write get popularity in the number of viewers.

The new agreement also establishes minimum staff requirements for TV author spaces based on the length of the season. For a series with a maximum of six episodes, three authors must be employed. For events with 13 episodes or more per season, the minimum staff is six authors, which can include three authors-producers.

The use of AI is also mentioned in this agreement where WGA is determined to protect writers against AI. This was revealed after reportedly several production houses planned to make scripts using AI.

In the future, AI cannot be used to rewrite any literary material and AI-generated material cannot be considered source material.

The deal does not prohibit authors from using AI. The studio should also not ask the author to use AI and must inform the author if the material they receive uses AI.

Although the WGA strike is now over, Hollywood is still facing another ongoing strike as SAG-AFTRA strikers have yet to reach an agreement with AMPTP.

The Hollywood actor union joined the WGA in a strike on July 13, after negotiations failed with AMPTP, representing major studios such as Netflix, Disney, Apple, Amazon, Warner Bros., and others.