SAT 1:19AM UPDATE: Progress but no deal. From the WGA: “To our members: The WGA and AMPTP met for bargaining on Friday and will meet again on Saturday. Thank you for the wonderful show of support on the picket lines today! It means so much to us as we continue to work toward a deal that writers deserve.”
SO MUCH FOR THIS; I’m told reliably that the Writers Guild and the AMPTP are heading for a settlement agreement right now. “We may get something tonight,” says an encouraging source. It will be West Coast time. Today marked the 144th day since the WGA went on strike.
Everyone is hoping for a conclusion in which the striking writers get paid properly and have assurances against things like artificial intelligence replacing humans.
Even if the settlement is reached there will have to be a membership vote to ratify the agreement.
Then there’s the matter of the SAG AFTRA strike, about which we’ve heard nothing in the way of negotiations lately. The hope is the AMPTP will propose a similar settlement to the actors union, paving the way for a return to work, promotion, and and resumption of much needed wages.
No one in Hollywood will ever forget these strikes, and the dedication and persistence of the union members. The strikes have set a standard for all unions.