In case you were worried that the bitter stand-off between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP) was going to lead to another strike much like the one in late 2007/early 2008, thereby postponing some of your favourite shows indefinitely…breathe a sigh of relief. A deal has been reached!
The WGA and AMPTP narrowly averted a strike last night (May 1) by negotiating a new agreement. The WGA intended to strike due to disapproval of certain nuances of the prior deal which they felt didn’t compensate them enough in the age of peak TV.
The new agreement, pending approval, would raise minimums for low-level writers, bolster health care coverage, and provide fair compensation in the event of shorter seasons of TV. There is now also assured job protection for maternal and paternal leave. In short, a great day for writers!
The WGA released a statement via Deadline. Here are some key points:
“We also made unprecedented gains on the issue of short seasons in television, winning a definition (which has never before existed in our MBA) of 2.4 weeks of work for each episodic fee. Any work beyond that span will now require additional payment for hundreds of writer-producers.
“We won a 15% increase in Pay TV residuals, roughly $15 million in increases in High-Budget SVOD residuals, and, for the first time ever, residuals for comedy-variety writers in Pay TV. And, also for the first time ever, job protection on Parental Leave”.
Approval is still to come from WGA West’s Board and WGA East’s Council, but it seems all but assured that the new deal will be approved.
The reason we currently live in the world of “peak TV” is thanks to the exceptionally hard work of these writers, so this is a win-win all round. They get fairly compensated and fairer job security, and fans need not worry about their favourite shows going on hiatus. Westworld, Better Call Saul, Fargo, and every other celebrated show now has another reason to celebrate.
#Peace.Love.NoStrike
