Hollywood’s writers union have finally declared the end of strike that began in May. The members have finally returned to work on September 27 while they consider a proposed three-year deal. The deal involves some protections around the use of AI, pay raises and some other gains.
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The writers union were finally able to make a decision in favor of them. The decision was made following unanimous approval from Writers Guild of America (WGA) leadership as per the guild’s statement. In fact, 11,500 members still have time to vote until October 9 on the contract.
The estimated value of the deal is around $233 million each year, offering television and film writers several gains, including the raise over the years of contract, increased pension and health contributions, and protections related to the AI usage.
About the Agreement
As per the agreement, major studios like Warner Bros Discovery, Walt Disney, and Netflic have committed to meet with the guild at least twice yearly to discuss about the AI use in film production and development. While the studios are not barred to use AI for content, however, writers retain the right to take legal actions in case their work is used to train AI.
Writers will now enjoy the choice to use AI when drafting scripts, but companies are not liable to mandate its use. The studios will also need to disclose to the writers about any materials generated through AI.
The WGA also secured guarantee on the minimum staffing in writers’ rooms. The determination of the staffing will happen on the basis of episodes per season along with the minimum pay rates that will rise more than 12% over the course of 3 years.
The details of the new Writers Guild contract are out. We won:
• Success-based residuals
• Strong limitations on A.I.
• Minimum writers room staffing
• Guaranteed compensation and 13-week minimums for Comedy/Variety writers in streaming
(cont)https://t.co/rI1pKWFh4u— Adam Conover (@adamconover) September 27, 2023
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