WGA comes to a tentative agreement with movie studios after the latest round of negotiations

Part of Hollywood might be returning to work sooner than expected, as news has emerged that the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Sunday. 

Originally reported by Deadline, the parties finalised the framework of the deal Sunday when they were able to untangle their stalemate over AI and writing room staffing levels, leading to a joint statement from both groups stating “The WGA and AMPTP have reached a tentative agreement,” the WGA and the AMPTP said in a joint statement this evening (Sunday).”

“We have reached a tentative agreement on a new 2023 MBA, which is to say an agreement in principle on all deal points, subject to drafting final contract language.”

Negotiations between the WGA and the AMPTP kicked off in virtual format in the mid-afternoon. While both sides worked on refining matters such as AI and staffing, a recurring point of contention today revolved around the schedules and protocols for returning to work. The studios also questioned whether the writers would swiftly resume their work at the keyboard once a tentative agreement was ratified. 

It was revealed that the guild had made a request for its members to delay their return to work until SAG-AFTRA secured a new agreement with the AMPTP.  This request underscored the strong sense of solidarity between the two unions during their first joint strike since 1960.

It’s a welcome relief for Tinseltown, as economists estimated that the dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes have cost California’s economy some $5 billion.