US film and television industry
After months of strikes in Hollywood: screenwriters and studios reach first agreement
There has been a strike in Hollywood for months
© ZUMAPRESS.com / Picture Alliance
Thousands of screenwriters for series and films in the USA have been on strike since the beginning of May. Now it looks like a first compromise – at least for the time being.
The scriptwriters of the US film and television industry have after a month Strike said it had reached an agreement with the studios that could allow them to resume work.
“We have reached a preliminary agreement on a new (minimum framework contract) for 2023,” says a letter from the powerful US authors’ union (WGA) to its members, which is available to the AFP news agency.
Strike in Hollywood: Nobody is allowed back to work yet
“We can say with great pride that this agreement is unique — with significant gains and protections for authors in all sectors (…),” the paper continues. Details of the agreement are not given in the letter. These still need to be worked out and ultimately the members “who laid down their pens at the beginning of May will have the final say”. The union warned that no one would be allowed to return to work until expressly approved by the WGA. “Until then we are still on strike.”
Negotiations between the studios and the writers stalled weeks ago. In recent days, however, the heads of Netflix, Disney, Universal and Warner Bros. Discovery have personally taken part in the discussions.
Thousands of screenwriters for series and films in Hollywood stopped work at the beginning of May. The authors call, among other things, for better pay and better protection against the effects of artificial intelligence.
In mid-July, actors in Hollywood also went on strike. It is the first strike by US actors since 1980. This is the first time Hollywood has experienced a double strike in more than 60 years.