Pick up your pens: WGA, AMPTP reach tentative deal ending writer’s strike
On Sept. 24, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced that they reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, (AMPTP) resulting in an increase in wages and protection against artificial intelligence among other key points. Photo courtesy of WikiCommons
Commotion from upstairs left junior Chapman screenwriting major Nina Lopez Riley on high alert on what was supposed to be a rejuvenating Sunday. The infinite possibilities of catastrophe raced through her mind as her roommate rushed downstairs, yelling her name. He would come bearing news that would leave her entire house — occupied by four aspiring screenwriters — celebrating the rest of the night.
After 148 days of work stoppage, the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to end the strike. Lopez Riley and her roommates would watch “Booksmart,” “Bottoms” and various Disney Channel original movies to commemorate the occasion. Although she may not be a member of the WGA yet, she found herself emotional at the guild’s victory.
“(The strike) has been such a big part of our lives. I found myself pretty emotional, and (my roommates and I) were really excited,” Lopez Riley told The Panther. “It just feels so close to home in a way because (the strike) was for us and for our future… The sacrifice and the work that came for this is something that I hope to never have to understand, but it's something that I, with so much intent, appreciate more than I'm sure (WGA members) will ever know.”
“(The strike) has been such a big part of our lives. I found myself pretty emotional, and (my roommates and I) were really excited. It just feels so close to home in a way because (the strike) was for us and for our future… The sacrifice and the work that came for this is something that I hope to never have to understand, but it’s something that I, with so much intent, appreciate more than I’m sure (WGA members) will ever know.”
The strike, which commenced on May 2, was initiated after the fall of cable television and the rise of streaming left many WGA members unable to earn a livable wage. The lack of residuals, shortened length of employment and looming threat of rapidly progressing artificial intelligence sparked doubts about the futures of veteran and aspiring writers alike. WGA members will ratify the tentative deal through a voting process taking place Oct. 2 through Oct. 9 and, if agreed upon, will last until May 2026.
The WGA has provided a summary of the deal. Some of the key elements include an increase in wages, protection against artificial intelligence, an increase in the minimum number of television writers in a writer’s room, extended durations of employment, payment for script rewrites and an increase in foreign streaming residuals.
WGA member and Chapman screenwriting professor Brianna Brown had spent the past five months a part of a small task force sent to protest and shut down film productions attempting to shoot during the strike. She was supposed to make a tumultuous trek the following morning at 7:30 a.m. before finding out about the tentative deal and the conclusion of WGA protesting. She credits the solidarity of the union and the communal nature of the pickets as keys to the WGA’s success.
“It’s one thing for (the AMPTP) to say ‘We don’t need the writers right now’ or ‘We’ll wait until they’re broke.’ It’s another thing to see us all on the picket line and stare us in the face every day as you drive by,” Brown told The Panther. “I’m very proud of our board and our negotiating committee. They did not bend or waver at any point. I think we really walked away with the best deal we could have hoped for.”
Chapman screenwriting professor Mort Nathan, who has been a WGA member for over 30 years, expressed his delight about the end of the strike. Nathan credits the constant stream of informative emails from the negotiating committee and heads of the WGA as a key to success because they helped the WGA’s 11,000 members feel connected and involved on a consistent basis. He also echoed Brown’s testament about union solidarity, claiming the AMPTP falsely expected the WGA to crumble during the work stoppage.
“The producers and the streamers who have cried poor about not being able to pay residuals have built these (streaming) companies into billion-dollar entities, paid themselves millions of dollars and gotten away paying nothing in residual payments,” Nathan said. “They go, ‘How can we afford to do this?’, and then people like Jeff Bezos went on their yacht for the summer. They thought by waiting until September, the (WGA) would be desperate for a less significant deal. That seems to have been a miscalculation. Solidarity was high strength. The union was strong.”
Solidarity came in all forms, whether it be from WGA members picketing outside of the eight major studios in the sweltering heat or aspiring members like Lopez Riley, who — despite spending her summer in Baltimore — found ways to support the protests. Lopez Riley would consistently express her support for the WGA over social media and make sure to have conversations with the people in her life to inform them of the situation.
“I don’t know how much of a difference (posting) makes, but — especially not being able to go out physically to the picket line — I just wanted to make sure that everyone in my life who doesn't understand the film industry to the capacity I do… I wanted them to understand that this is for my future and for so many writers, actors and crew members,” Lopez Riley said. “We're in film school. We have somewhat of an understanding, but the mundane people who are just seeing it from the perspective of their movie not getting made or their show not coming out, I wanted them to feel open to ask me about it so I can explain the importance of what (the strike) was.”
“I don’t know how much of a difference (posting) makes, but — especially not being able to go out physically to the picket line — I just wanted to make sure that everyone in my life who doesn’t understand the film industry to the capacity I do… I wanted them to understand that this is for my future and for so many writers, actors and crew members.”
Brown, who is still a working writer, touched on the various ways writers used their free time during the strike, aside from picketing. While some found the moment too stressful to be creative, others worked on their craft and cultivated a portfolio of new writing. Brown expects to be back working once the WGA allows it and plans to pitch the television projects she’s been working on. The surge in material could lead to an influx of new content in the future.
“A lot of us will be coming back with either material that we had to put on hold for whatever reason or new material that we worked on that came out of the strike,” Brown said. “Either way, I think everybody's eager to get back, and there’s going to be plenty of new material that's sort of finding its way into the pipeline. I think we're all kind of hungry for more TV and more movies.”
Although the WGA may have reached their agreement, members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) — who initiated their strike on July 14 — have yet to reach a deal with the AMPTP. Nathan expressed that there’s a good reason to celebrate on behalf of the WGA, but the fight isn’t over until SAG-AFTRA reaches their deal.
“I was delighted not just for myself, my friends and my students, but for the whole community, that we were able to put this aside and go back to work. That said, we're not 100% done because the actors are still on strike,” Nathan said. “There is a template now based on what the writers were able to get that should be able to transfer to the actors’ issues as well.”
“I was delighted not just for myself, my friends and my students, but for the whole community, that we were able to put this aside and go back to work. That said, we’re not 100% done because the actors are still on strike. There is a template now based on what the writers were able to get that should be able to transfer to the actors’ issues as well.”
SAG-AFTRA’s demands are similar to the demands of the WGA, which include an increase in wages and residuals, improved working conditions and protection against artificial intelligence. Brown encourages WGA members and students to remain on the picket lines in full support of SAG-AFTRA. It has been reported that SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP will resume their negotiations on Oct. 2.
“Until it’s a win for everybody, we’re still going to be out there supporting,” Brown said. “We’re definitely encouraged at the (WGA) to keep supporting SAG-AFTRA until they get their deal. I think this is step one in the right direction, but we’re no stranger to the fact that there’s still a ways to go. This is just the beginning of the end and hopefully, a new era of safety and security in our industry.”
“Until it’s a win for everybody, we’re still going to be out there supporting. We’re definitely encouraged at the (WGA) to keep supporting SAG-AFTRA until they get their deal. I think this is step one in the right direction, but we’re no stranger to the fact that there’s still a ways to go. This is just the beginning of the end and hopefully, a new era of safety and security in our industry.”
