WGA members have overwhelmingly voted in favor of ratifying the new deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the guild announced Wednesday.
The vote was made three weeks after eleventh hour negotiations between the two guilds averted a second writers’ strike in Hollywood in nearly 10 years. Of the 3,647 votes received by the WGA from their members, only 30 voted no, for an approval rate of 99.2 percent. The new deal will be in effect until May 1, 2020.
“Our success in these negotiations was due to a highly engaged and dedicated membership, working in tandem with a tireless and informed Negotiating Committee and an extraordinary Guild staff. We achieved new and significant gains that will help today’s writers even as they benefit the next generation,” said WGA Presidents Michael Winship and Howard A. Rodman in a statement. “Our thanks go out to all of those who contributed to the process and to the thousands of our fellow writers who participated in the strike authorization and ratification votes.”
The new deal secures $65 million for WGA’s health plan as well as an increase in residuals for streaming TV shows and movies. Base compensation for writers on short-season TV shows was also increased.
With the new writers’ deal now locked in, the focus shifts to SAG-AFTRA, which began preliminary talks with studios for a new film & TV deal last week.
