On Sunday, September 24th, the Writers Guild of America reached a tentative deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. This deal could end the WGA strike, which began on May 2nd. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Writers Guild of Great Britain chair Lisa Holdsworth (New Tricks, A Discovery of Witches) commented on the deal and congratulated the WGA.
As The Hollywood Reporter notes, Holdsworth stated, “We send our congratulations to our sister union in the States on reaching a tentative agreement with the AMPTP. In the past 146 days we’ve seen an extraordinary show of solidarity from writers and their union siblings on both sides of the Atlantic, and indeed around the world. We’ve been overwhelmed by the response of our own membership in standing with their striking colleagues overseas — you have followed the WGA strike rules to the letter, turned out to the WGGB protest in London in the summer and sent a tsunami of support on social media.”
She continued, “Some of you have even joined picket lines in the States. Your solidarity has counted and your voice has been heard, both by the Writers Guild of America and their members but also by the streamers, studios and producers who have witnessed this global display of collective action and have — finally — listened.”
Holdsworth also talked about the impact of this deal on the United Kingdom, explaining, “All writers working for streaming platforms must enjoy decent terms and conditions and the best way to achieve these is through union agreements — our work here will continue.”
Although the WGA strike is potentially coming to an end, The Hollywood Reporter notes that the SAG-AFTRA strike that began on July 14th is still going on. In relation to SAG-AFTRA, Holdsworth stated, “We are also aware of the acute impact the strike is having on the U.K. creative industries, on our own members and members of our sister entertainment unions, too, so we look forward to a speedy resolution to both this strike and that of SAG-AFTRA, to whom we continue to send our solidarity.”
With news of a tentative agreement, the end of the Writers Guild of America strike is now on the horizon.