After a standoff for nearly five months between Hollywood writers and studios, they have officially resumed work on Wednesday.
The strike, which began on May 2, was scheduled to conclude at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, the union said on Tuesday evening.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA), which represents the collective rights and welfare of the writers, announced the cease-of-industrial action following a tentative agreement struck by the union and Hollywood media companies on Tuesday evening.
A three-year “minimum basic agreement” with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers was approved by the guild’s negotiating committee, (the WGA West Board, and the WGA East Council) on Tuesday, NBC reports.
The deal follows a positive dialogue that began on Sunday and the agreement is set to go to the guild’s membership for a ratification vote.
Under the new agreement, the minimum pay will increase by 5% for most writers, then 4% next year and 3.5% the year after, according to the guild.
The restructured deal would also raise the rates of health care and pension contributions and provide bonuses to residuals based on viewership for streaming, which was among the biggest gripes of the writers.
The use of artificial intelligence (AI), which was another major concern of the striking writers, was also addressed in the agreement. It notes that, AI-generated content wouldn’t be considered source material and “can’t be used to undermine a writer’s credit or separate rights.”
Use of the technology remains an option for writers if they choose; however, it will not be mandated in script or material development.
The deal, however, mandates studios to notify writers if material is being produced by AI.
The news marks another win for the guild as they, along with the producers association, known as the AMPTP, reached a tentative agreement on Sunday.
The deal also includes increases in minimum weekly pay rates and minimum numbers of writers, as per a “memorandum of agreement” summary on the writers guild website.
