Variety reports that Sesame Workshop writers and the production firm behind Sesame Street came to a five-year agreement, preventing picket lines from appearing in the show’s welcoming community. Late on Friday, The Writers Guild Awards verified the agreement. The nonprofit organization’s thirty-five writers cast a unanimous vote last week in favor of a strike authorization vote.
In a statement, the WGA’s Sesame Workshop Negotiating Committee commented: “We are so proud to work for an organization that values its writers, and we believe this new contract will positively impact writers throughout the children’s media landscape. ‘S’ truly is for Solidarity. We are glad to have a contract in place that allows Sesame to do what it does best – lead.”
The 35-member bargaining unit voted 100% in favor of authorizing a strike, according to the guild and Deadline. By Friday, when the current contract expired, if a tentative agreement hadn’t been reached, the writers were ready to walk the picket line. Any and all work related to Sesame Street would have been affected by the strike.
The WGA Sesame Workshop Negotiating Committee released a statement: “The writers that Sesame Workshop hires are deeply committed to the work that we do. Like the Workshop itself, we are mission-driven and child-focused, and we work hard at telling stories that contribute to the Workshop’s curricula inspired by heart, curiosity, community, kindness, diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Variety reports that the union aimed to guarantee minimum compensation for writing for the animated elements of the show and social media content. The guild claims that certain clauses are included in the agreement. In addition, the agreement covers measures for artificial intelligence, paid parental leave, and enhanced streaming residuals.
The writers were scheduled to start picketing the following week on April 24th if a deal could not be reached, and the contract was scheduled to expire on Friday. Sesame Workshop praised the agreement, calling it an “industry benchmark.”
A spokeswoman at Sesame Workshop stated: “We value our writers and their significant contributions to the creative process, which are integral to our ability to deliver on our nonprofit mission, this agreement is a testament to our dedication to our creative talent, and we appreciate the WGA’s collaboration in working with us to establish this new industry benchmark.”
Sesame Workshop is headquartered in New York, but Variety reports that its writers are represented by both WGA West and WGA East. Sesame Street is available on PBS and the streaming service Max.
WGA East president Lisa Takeuchi Cullen commented: “Sesame Workshop writers won a new agreement that recognizes the value of the incredible work they do to educate and enlighten children around the world. This contract could not have been achieved without the solidarity and fortitude shown by the entire bargaining unit throughout the negotiations. Workers win when they stand together.”
