On Sept. 24th, the Writers Guild of America (WGA), struck a tentative deal with Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, a trade association that represents the major producers of Hollywood after months of striking for better wages and secure employment.Despite the WGA reaching a deal, SAG-AFTRA and the members of the performer’s union are still on strike.
The proposed deal provides screenwriters with job security and higher and more sufficient pay. For starters, writers compensation commensurate with their show’s success. Along with this, their annual minimum wage would increase over the course of their contract, starting with 5% and then decreasing per year. A major point of the strike is the future of AI involvement with script writing. AMPTP has addressed this issue, reassuring writers that artificial intelligence will not be used to rewrite writers’ materials, nor will they be trained using previous human works.
Sal Calleros — a writer, executive producer and WGA strike captain who has written famous shows, told LA times about his hopes that this deal will improve the lives for upcoming actors.
“This was for the folks who are coming up behind me — that they have the opportunity to make a living. … So if we reached a good agreement on those big areas concerning residuals, AI, the number of writers in the room … then the folks behind us will then have a shot to make this an actual career.”
Amidst the good news, SAG-AFTRA is still on the picket lines. Composed of about 160,000 members, SAG-AFTRA, voted to go on strike for changes regarding residual payments and AI involvement. The terms of the strike entail that “SAG-AFTRA members will not show up for work on most scripted films or series (including voice acting) until a new contract has been negotiated, effectively shutting Hollywood down in the interim. They will not be permitted to attend rehearsals or participate in auditions (including via self-tape), either.”
Arguing that their wages and streaming residuals be kept up with inflation, SAG-AFTRA members have yet to back down on their demands. Guild President Fran Drescher has stated that their creative freedom and craft have been undermined in the last decade, and it’s time they “reverse those trajectories.”
“What are we doing…moving around furniture on the Titanic? It’s crazy. So the jig is up, AMPTP,” Drescher said.
Despite their stance on the lack of improvement, the guild states that they have stood with WGA until now and will whenever they need it, and that they hope AMPTP will re-negotiate a fair deal with them in the future as well.
“SAG-AFTRA congratulates the WGA on reaching a tentative agreement with the AMPTP after 146 days of incredible strength, resiliency, and solidarity on the picket lines,” they said in a statement on Sunday.
