With the WGA deal in progress, entertainment company leaders are expected to focus on the 160,000-member performers union, SAG-AFTRA, to speed up stalled talks and get the industry back to work. The strikes have heavily impacted crew members and small businesses that depend on the entertainment industry. Despite the tentative agreement, production is unlikely to restart immediately as scripts need to be written and studios still need to reach a new contract with SAG-AFTRA.
Key takeaways:
- The Writers Guild of America and major Hollywood studios have reached a tentative deal to end a strike that has lasted 146 days, causing thousands of job losses and exposing deep anxiety over changes brought by technology.
- The proposed three-year contract, which still needs to be ratified by the union’s 11,500 members, would increase pay rates and residual payments for streaming shows and impose new rules surrounding the use of artificial intelligence.
- With the tentative pact with the WGA done, entertainment company leaders are expected to turn their attention to the 160,000-member performers union, SAG-AFTRA, to accelerate those stalled talks in an effort to get the industry back to work.
- The writers’ strike was a response to the changes brought by streaming. Shorter seasons for streaming shows and fewer writers being hired have cut into guild members’ pay and job stability, making it harder to earn a sustainable living in the expensive media hubs of Los Angeles and New York.