U.S. screenwriters overwhelmingly approve a 4-year contract with Hollywood studios

A picketer carries a sign on the picket line outside Netflix on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

LOS ANGELES — Members of the screenwriters union overwhelmingly ratified a four-year agreement with Hollywood studios and streamers on Friday, bringing an end to a surprisingly smooth and quick process that brought a prolonged strike the last time around.

Union leaders said 90 per cent voted to approve the deal struck between the Writers Guild of America West, Writers Guild of America East and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Studios will now shift to negotiations with actors and directors.

Leaders of the unions emphasized gains in health coverage.

“In the face of industry contraction and runaway health care cost inflation, writers were able to secure a contract that returns our Health Fund to a sustainable path and builds on gains from the 2023 strike,” WGA West President Michele Mulroney said in a statement.

Guild leaders said the deal also includes minimum pay hikes, especially for comedy and variety writers, with more money in residuals for the re-airing of their work.

The AMPTP congratulated the union on the ratification.

“This deal reflects a collaborative approach that supports both writers and the industry’s long-term stability,” it said in its own statement.

An April 4 tentative agreement came about three weeks after negotiations began — a stark contrast to the contentious contract negotiation that along with an actors strike brought the industry to a standstill in 2023.

The Writers Guild has had its own labor struggles with its staff, whose strike brought the cancellation of their annual awards ceremony in March.

Actors, through their union SAG-AFTRA, are still negotiating their new contract. The groups have negotiated for about a month and are set to resume Monday after a break.

SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin said in a February interview with The Associated Press that he has seen signs that the studios want “to work as partners again.”

The Directors Guild begins its contract talks May 11.

Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press