Striking writers whose strike has brought Hollywood to a standstill said on Sunday they had reached an agreement with studios.
“We have reached a tentative agreement on basic terms of employment for 2023,” reads a letter the Writers Guild of America sent to members. The agreement’s final version has yet to be drawn up.
“We are very proud to announce that this agreement is extraordinary – with significant gains and protections for authors in every section of membership.”
However, the letter, seen by AFP, does not contain any details of the agreement. It is still being ironed out.
Members of the union, which began striking in early May, will have the final say.
“To make it clear – no one will return to work until the guild specifically authorizes it. We are on strike until then. But we are suspending WGA marches in the meantime.”
The strike by the writers is expected to have already cost the American economy approximately $5 billion (about R94 billion), according to an estimate by economist Kevin Klowden of the Milken Institute.
Several TV shows were forced to stop due to the strike, including The Last of Us, Billions, Stranger Things, The Handmaid’s Tale, Hacks, Severance, Yellowjackets, Abbott Elementary and various daytime and late-night talk shows.
Beyond salaries, the authors were also concerned about the impact of artificial intelligence on the industry.
Meanwhile, a separate dispute with actors continues. The Sag-Aftra trade union, with its 160,000 members, has been on strike since mid-July.
