Votes Were Tabulated, and the Vote Was Ratified On Monday Afternoon
By Dolores Quintana
The Writers Guild of America has an answer from its members, and the answer is that the writer’s strike is officially and finally over. With a certified result of 99% of its membership voting to approve the contract, which will be in force for the next three years, it has been ratified and is a done deal. The WGA leadership is still in solidarity with the SAG AFTRA strike and recommends that WGA members continue to support the actors in their cause. SAG AFTRA and the AMPTP have been in negotiations since October 2 and will resume talks on Wednesday.
The WGA sent this letter to its members on Monday in the mid-afternoon. It said, “Dear Members, We are pleased to announce that 99% of WGA members have voted in favor of ratifying the 2023 MBA. Of the 8,525 valid votes cast, there were 8,435 “yes” votes and 90 “no” votes (1%). The term of the agreement is from September 25, 2023, through May 1, 2026.
See the summary of the 2023 MBA for more information on what we gained.
We would not have been able to achieve this industry-changing contract without WGA Chief Negotiator Ellen Stutzman, Negotiating Committee Cochairs Chris Keyser, and David Goodman, the entire WGA Negotiating Committee, strike captains, lot coordinators, and the staff that supported every part of the negotiation and strike action.
As our negotiations come to an end, we won’t forget our SAG-AFTRA siblings, who have supported writers every step of the way. We call upon the AMPTP to negotiate a deal that addresses the needs of performers, and until they do, we ask WGA members who can to continue to show up on their picket lines in solidarity.
In solidarity,
Meredith Stiehm, WGAW President
Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, WGAE President”
