Writers Guild of America Reaches Tentative Deal With Studios After Monthslong Strike

After five months of striking and protesting outside major Hollywood studios, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) members have reached a tentative deal.

The deal was reached on Sunday, Sept. 24, after days of serious negotiations, CNN reports. The exact terms of the deal remain under wraps while the agreement moves toward ratification by WGA members.

The agreement comes just in time, as the nearly five-month-long strike inched close to surpassing a 1988 strike that lasted 154 days.

“What we have won in this contract — most particularly, everything we have gained since May 2nd — is due to the willingness of this membership to exercise its power, to demonstrate its solidarity, to walk side-by-side, to endure the pain and uncertainty of the past 146 days,” the WGA told its 11,000 members in an email on Sunday.

“It is the leverage generated by your strike, in concert with the extraordinary support of our union siblings, that finally brought the companies back to the table to make a deal.”

While the tentative WGA deal does not immediately end the strike, it serves as a path forward to ending the historic hiatus that has put much of Hollywood at a standstill.

“To be clear, no one is to return to work until specifically authorized to by the Guild. We are still on strike until then,” the WGA wrote.

“But we are, as of today, suspending WGA picketing.”

Meanwhile, the actors union SAG-AFTRA remains on a strike that kicked off in mid-July. The union that represents over 160,000 actors could see some hope with WGA reaching a deal after being the first to launch a strike.

Now, with WGA reaching a deal, the Guild is encouraging its members to join the picket line for the actors’ strike this week. It is also praising the new agreement.

“We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional — with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership,” the WGA said.