In a significant development, the strike led by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) will remain in effect throughout the guild’s contract approval and ratification process. However, as of Sunday night, picketing activities have been suspended. Guild leaders are poised to make a crucial decision on Tuesday, where they will vote on whether to formally lift the strike order against signatories of the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP).
Members have been clearly instructed not to return to work until they receive specific authorization from the Guild, emphasizing that the strike remains in effect until further notice.
The details of the contract agreement, eagerly awaited by members, will be withheld until the final language is completed in the coming days. The WGA leadership anticipates voting on the final pact on Tuesday. Initially, the negotiating committee will vote on whether to recommend the deal for approval by the board of the WGA West and council of WGA East. Once both votes approve the pact, it will be sent for ratification by the WGA’s 11,000 members.
While members await the contract details, the strike, which has endured for nearly five months, is expected to receive overwhelming support from members, buoyed by the enthusiastic endorsement of WGA leaders. Negotiators have expedited discussions as the Yom Kippur holiday approaches.
The WGA attributes its success in forcing Hollywood’s major employers to address the guild’s key priorities to the unwavering solidarity and activism of its members. Notably, the guild secured a new-model streaming residual formula and made strides in minimum staffing requirements for episodic TV.
The resolution of the WGA strike is expected to expedite the end of the SAG-AFTRA walkout and return the creative community to normal production cycles, following a turbulent period that began with the contract expiration on May 1. As Hollywood eagerly anticipates a return to work, plans for production resumption are quietly underway, with industry leaders assessing the availability of stages and production resources.
The negotiations, which had stalled for a month, resumed on September 20 and saw the participation of key Hollywood figures, including Disney’s Bob Iger, NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, and David Zaslav of Warner Bros. Discovery, in marathon talks that eventually broke the deadlock.
This development marks a crucial milestone in the labor disputes that have disrupted the entertainment industry for months, signaling a potential return to normalcy in the world of TV and film production[[5](https://deadline.com/2023/04/hollywood-strike-writer-vote-overwhelmingly-to-authorize-strike-1235328438/)][[2](https://www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-strike-authorization-vote)].
