The Writers Guild of America, East has reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract with ABC News, the labor union said Friday.
The new deal calls for a 2 percent pay increase for each year of the contract. It also increases the amount that ABC News will contribute to workers pension plans, although the guild did not provide specifics about how big a bump there will be in contributions.
The pact covers approximately 142 newswriters, producers, assignment editors, promo producers, graphic artists and desk assistants based in New York and Washington, D.C. Members of the union will still have to ratify the deal and a vote will likely happen in the next two weeks.
The deal will run from February 1, 2013 to January 31, 2016 and will replace the previous agreement which expired on January 31, 2013.
“We were able to negotiate contributions necessary to maintain one of the best pension benefits available in the industry, as well as respectable pay increases,” WGAE Executive Director Lowell Peterson said in a statement. “We continue to build a productive relationship with ABC News, ensuring that our members remain central to the news gathering and production operations, and that they are appropriately compensated for the enormous value they bring.”
