Studio Briefing reports that 93% of Writers Guild of America (WGA) members have approved the new three-year contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The WGA had been on strike from 5 November to mid-February on the issue of new media residuals, crippling Hollywood production in the process.
WGA President Patric Verrone has referred to the contract as “a new beginning for writers in the digital age’.
Meanwhile, there looms the spectre of the upcoming negotiations between the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the AMPTP, with the SAG contract expiring on 30June. According to Hollywood Reporter, although SAG plans to open contract talks with the AMPTP in spring, the Guild’s New York board is wanting to start formal negotiations with the AMPTP as soon as possible.
It is urging SAG leaders not to waste time haggling with its bargaining partner, the American Federation of TV & Radio Artists (AFTRA).
