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Nearly five months after the protests began, Hollywood writers and producers have reached an agreement on the terms of the category’s new three-year contract. The world of cinema is thus catching its breath after 146 days of strike and paralysis. “We have reached a provisional agreement with the Alliance that brings together traditional studios and streaming platforms (AmpTP). It was possible thanks to the tenacious solidarity of the members and the extraordinary support of the other entertainment unions”, explains a note sent by Writers Guild of America (Wga) to its members a few minutes after 7pm (4pm on Monday in Italy). However, the actors’ union (Sag-Aftra) remains on strike, with which the producers will have to reopen the bargaining table, which was canceled in mid-July.
The agreement between screenwriters and studios
The WGA note continues: “We can say with great pride that this agreement is exceptional and that it provides significant progress for authors and screenwriters of all sectors. What remains for our staff to do is to make sure that everything is put in black and white white appropriately. And while we can’t wait to share with you the details of what we’ve achieved, we can’t do so until we’ve dotted the final i.” In the note, the agreement is defined as “provisional” because the final draft of the document is missing and because it will have to be examined by the management of the WGA and then approved by the majority of the 11,000 members, via online voting: an indispensable step, even if the “yes” of the basic is a given.
One of Hollywood’s longest strikes ends
With this signature, one of the longest strikes in the history of Hollywood ends, which paralyzed the entertainment industry and slowed down the economy of the entire state, sending up smoke – according to experts – over 5 billion dollars. In five months, the level of conflict remained high and all attempts to reopen negotiations ended in nothing. On Wednesday the weather suddenly changed. More than a month after the last, unsuccessful, meeting, the representatives of the WGA and the producers returned to the table. To confirm a more conciliatory climate, Ted Sarandos of Netflix, Donna Langley of Universal, Bob Iger of Disney and David Zaslav of Warner Bros also sat next to Carol Lombardini of Amptp. To push for the agreement, the California governor Gavin Newsom, who called the main negotiators. Wga and Studios thus found a solution after five days of non-stop negotiations in the AmpTP offices in Sherman Oaks. The studios made their “last and best” offer Saturday afternoon, and WGA representatives ultimately gave approval. The most complex issue to articulate on the new contract would have been that of the use of artificial intelligence. The screenwriters would also have been satisfied with the other requests made: increases in the minimum wage, guarantees on the writing phase of the scripts, higher percentages of copyright for works intended for streaming.
Source-tg24.sky.it