Hollywood’s writers union, the Writers Guild of America (WGA), has called off their strike and allowed members to return to work. The strike began in May after negotiations with major studios, including Netflix, Disney, and Warner Bros Discovery, failed to reach an agreement. The WGA leadership unanimously voted to end the strike while its 11,500 members have until October 9th to vote on the proposed three-year contract. The tentative agreement includes pay raises, increased health and pension contributions, and safeguards around the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Under the agreement, AI cannot undermine a writer’s credit, and writers have the choice to use AI when drafting scripts without it being a requirement.
The end of the strike will bring relief to daytime and late-night talk shows, as they can now resume airing fresh episodes. HBO’s “Real Time” host, Bill Maher, announced on social media that he would be back with new episodes starting Friday. However, Maher and Drew Barrymore had previously faced backlash from writers for stating that their talk shows would return before the strike ended. Despite the end of the WGA strike, Hollywood still faces disruptions as the SAG-AFTRA actors union went on strike in July and remains on strike.
In summary, the Hollywood writers union has ended its strike after months of negotiations with major studios. The proposed three-year contract offers various benefits to writers, including pay raises, increased health and pension contributions, and provisions regarding the use of AI. The strike’s conclusion allows daytime and late-night talk shows to resume airing new episodes. However, Hollywood continues to face disruptions as the actors union is still on strike.