The Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike is officially over.
On the 148th day of the work stoppage, the board of the WGA West and council of the WGA East voted unanimously on Tuesday to lift the strike order as of 12:01 a.m. PT on Wednesday. following a tentative agreement on a new minimum basic agreement (MBA) contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). That means writers can go back to work as of Wednesday even before the final ratification vote on the contract.
The unanimous decision to end the strike comes two days after the writers and Hollywood studios successfully concluded talks for a new three-year MBA deal on Sept. 24. Following a marathon negotiation session, the two sides were able to find compromises on key sticking points, including generative AI in the creative process, minimum staffing requirements for writers rooms and streaming residuals.
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The vote to lift the strike order followed unanimous votes by the WGA’s negotiating committee, the WGA West board and WGA East council to send the contract to members for ratification.
Until now, the WGA has maintained the work stoppage was still in effect, telling membership when the tentative deal was struck Sunday: “To be clear, no one is to return to work until specifically authorized to by the Guild. We are still on strike until then. But we are, as of today, suspending WGA picketing. Instead, if you are able, we encourage you to join the SAG-AFTRA picket lines this week. “
SAG-AFTRA is still picketing the AMPTP, awaiting its turn to return to the negotiating table amid its 75-day strike.