The end of the strike is official. After nearly five months of hiatus, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have reached an agreement.
The Boards of Directors of WGA West and the council of Writers Guild of America East voted unanimously to authorize the return of writers to work. The measure will take effect as of midnight Wednesday, and therefore, the provisional agreement negotiated with Hollywood studios has been accepted.
The union has clarified that the agreement will now proceed to a vote and subsequent ratification among guild members. This vote will take place between October 2 and October 9. The WGA has stated that this new agreement will be in effect from September 25, 2023, to May 1, 2026.
This agreement between the WGA and the AMPTP was finalized on Sunday after 146 days of writers’ protests outside production offices in Los Angeles and New York. However, the strike that has not yet ended is the one involving actors.
Many members of SAG-AFTRA joined the fight on July 14 after failed negotiations with the AMPTP. Their demands are very similar to those of the writers, and they are advocating for legislation regarding the use of artificial intelligence, among other issues.
Against Artificial Intelligence
Some of the most notable achievements of the new agreement include a 26% increase in royalty income and protective measures related to the unauthorized use of artificial intelligence.
Among the new terms of this contract, there are some very interesting points, such as AI not being able to usurp a writer’s credits. Companies also cannot require the use of tools like ChatGPT for writing.
